Photo File: Senator Iyiola Omisore

A leading figure in the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Iyiola Omisore, has declared his intention to run for the governorship of Osun State in the 2026 election on the platform of the APC.

Omisore, who previously served as Deputy Governor of the state, made the announcement via a post on his official X (formerly Twitter) account on Saturday. He also disclosed that a formal declaration ceremony will be held on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, at the Osun APC Secretariat in Ogo-Oluwa, Osogbo, beginning at 10 a.m.

Themed “Fix the Broken, Restore Our Dreams,” the declaration will kick off what Omisore described as a people-centered campaign focused on restoring confidence, improving governance, and securing a brighter future for Osun residents.

“This is not just my mission, it is a collective one. I humbly invite you to join me as we take this bold step towards the Osun Rescue Mission 2026,” he wrote.

A veteran in Osun politics, Omisore served as Deputy Governor from 1999 to 2003 under the Alliance for Democracy (AD), and later represented Osun East in the Senate from 2003 to 2011, during which he chaired the Senate Appropriations Committee.

He ran for governor in 2014 under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but lost to then-incumbent Rauf Aregbesola. He contested again in 2018 on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) before joining the APC in 2021. In a swift rise within the party, Omisore became the National Secretary just over a year after his defection, following the withdrawal of his main rival at the party’s national convention in Abuja.

His declaration positions him as a major contender in what is expected to be a competitive APC primary ahead of the 2026 governorship race.