The crisis rocking the Osun State chapter of the Social Democratic Party has continued to fester as two governorship candidates emerged after separate primaries conducted by the two factions of the party in the state.
A former deputy governor of Osun State, Senator Iyiola Omisore, beat two other contestants to win the governorship ticket with 125,485 votes in the primary conducted by the Dr Bayo Faforiji-led faction of the party.
The Faforiji faction adopted a direct primary mode of election and the Returning Officer, Prof. Rufai Alkali, who announced Omisore the winner of the contest at around 10.50pm on Wednesday, said the direct primary was a good party nomination method.
But an indigene of Iwo town, Muniruden Atanda, also defeated two other aspirants to win the governorship ticket of the SDP faction led by Chief Ademola Ishola.
Ishola, while addressing the party supporters at the SDP Secretariat at Fakunle area of Osogbo where the election was held using delegate system, said there was no other faction of the party in the state.
He said the candidate of the party would emerge victorious in the September 22, 2018 governorship poll in the state while urging the people of the state to support him.
While Omisore’s name appeared on the ballots and lost in the primary conducted by the Ishola-led faction, Atanda’s name also appeared on the ballots and he lost in the primary conducted by the Faforiji-led faction.
Omisore said in his acceptance speech that good governance and restoration of human dignity would be his focus, saying getting this done would be by collective effort.
Omisore said, “I am very delighted to work with other aspirants and other party leaders to move the state forward, and to achieve our shared quest; the restoration of good governance and human dignity in Osun State.
“This remains the unassailable goal of the Social Democratic Party in Osun State. It is an honour to take on this leadership responsibility.”
