A governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, Babajide Omoworare, has said he will not step down for his kinsman and fellow aspirant, Iyiola Omisore, ahead of the party’s December primary election.
Both Omoworare and Omisore, former senators from Ile-Ife in Osun East Senatorial District, are seeking the APC ticket for the August 8, 2026 governorship election.
Speaking during an interactive session with members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Osogbo on Friday, Omoworare said that rather than him stepping down, it is Omisore, as an older politician, who should allow a younger generation to take the lead.
“In Yorubaland, when you get to a certain stage, you leave something for your younger brother. You said I should leave something for my senior brother (Omisore); it is the senior brother that should leave something for the junior brother,” Omoworare said.
“They call it ajeku (leftover food), but I call it ajeye (food that one eats and lives). My brother should do ajeye for me. He should call me and say, ‘Jide Omoworare, you can do it. I know your capacity.’”
The two-term senator, who also served as Majority Leader in the Lagos State House of Assembly, explained that his political journey has been long and deliberate, adding that his relationship with Omisore remains cordial.
“He (Omisore) knows my capacity. I was his lawyer in the early 1990s. We don’t fight. I visit his house, and he even congratulated me on my birthday today. Politics is not about fighting; it’s about ideas,” he said.
Omoworare said he intends to transform Osun from a civil service-dependent economy to an industrialised and productive one if elected governor.
“I want to change the narrative of Osun from a bureaucratic or civil service state to an industrialised and democratic one. We don’t have to wait for our children to do it; we can do it now,” he said. “I’m not desperate for power; I just want to serve and make Osun productive.”
He described governance as “serious business,” saying that if people elect a “clown,” they should expect “a circus.”
“Government is the most serious business anyone can undertake. If given the opportunity, I’ll run Osun professionally, with clear plans for infrastructure, agriculture, education, tourism, and the creative economy,” he added.
Omoworare also pledged to complete the state’s airport project, describing it as vital to Osun’s industrial development. “That airport has consumed a lot of resources. It must be completed and put to use, whether as a training centre or aviation hub. We can’t keep wasting money on abandoned projects,” he said.
Tracing his political heritage, the former lawmaker said he comes from a family of progressives and Afenifere leaders. “My maternal grandfather was governor of the old Western Region, my father was a principal and councillor, and I’ve been part of progressive politics all my life,” he noted.
He reiterated his loyalty to the APC, promising to support whoever wins the party’s ticket if he does not emerge as the candidate.
“God makes governors and presidents. If someone else emerges, I’ll congratulate them and work for the party. I’ve done it before and will do it again. I am a loyal progressive. For me, politics is about service, not desperation,” Omoworare said.
