OPEYEMI BAMIDELE
The Action Congress of Nigeria in Ekiti
State has been polarised by the insistence of the Chairman of the House
of Representatives Committee on Legislative Budget and Research, Mr.
Opeyemi Bamidele, to contest against Governor Kayode Fayemi.
The party before now denied the existence of a rift between the governor and Bamidele.
The state chapter of the party is now split between those who support Fayemi and those sympathetic to the lawmaker.
This has become a threat to ACN’s
dominance of the state’s political landscape. Aware of the not too
pleasant consequences of allowing the dispute linger, the national
leadership of the party sent a high-powered delegation to Ado Ekiti to
reconcile the two prominent sons of the state.
Bamidele, who did not attend the meeting, claimed to have received the text message inviting him two days after.
At the meeting, ACN National Leader,
Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, stressed the need for the party to unite. He
cautioned Fayemi’s supporters against treating aggrieved members of the
party as outsiders, saying there was no need to tear anybody’s campaign
posters.
Tinubu, the ACN National Chairman, Chief
Bisi Akande, and others who were obviously happy with Fayemi’s
performance openly endorsed his desire to seek a second term.
Tinubu, who said an official endorsement
would be announced later, urged Bamidele to temporarily shelve his
governorship ambition to enable the ACN unite and prepare to face the
2014 governorship election in the state.
Many believe that Bamidele would heed
this advice, especially when it is coming from Tinubu, who brought him
into political limelight. Recent events have however proved them wrong
as Bamidele barely allowed his former boss conclude his speech before
insisting he would forge ahead with his plans.
Bamidele said that there was no going
back on his decision to contest against Fayemi. This is despite the
advice of party leaders which include: former Governor Niyi Adebayo, who
stood solidly with Bamidele against Babafemi Ojudu during the 2011
struggle for the ticket to represent Ekiti Central Federal Senatorial
District.
The struggle between him and Ojudu was so fierce that it polarised the party and almost cost the ACN the senatorial election.
It is generally believed that the
ruling party could enjoy a smooth ride if Fayemi is allowed to run on
the party’s platform unopposed.
Fayemi may not have scored 100 per cent
in terms of performance in his almost three years in office but
observers say he has done well.
There have been rumours that Bamidele is
working behind the scene with the Labour Party. The rumour started
late in 2012 and by December of that same year, his campaign posters
with LP logo flooded Ado-Ekiti, Iyin-Ekiti and Igede-Ekiti . He denied
being behind the posters, blaming it on his detractors . But some ACN
members, who argued that the lawmaker had since left the party,
claimed that he rendered financial assistance to Ondo State Governor
Olusegun Mimiko to enable him win the October 20 governorship poll.
Bamidele had addressed his supporters in
Ado-Ekiti on Saturday, just three days after Tinubu and other leaders
of the ACN left the state capital.
The ACN leaders are all of the opinion
that Bamidele should temporally shelve his ambition because
contesting against the incumbent could rock the boat. But the
lawmaker has told who ever cares to listen, that he would no longer
ignore the people of the state who had severally asked him to save
the state from poverty and underdevelopment.
There are speculations also that
Bamidele may team up with ousted Governor Segun Oni and a former
Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Mr. Dayo Adeyeye, to resuscitate the
LP in the state. Although, Bamidele has not been categorical about
dumping the ruling ACN, his threat to defect if not allowed to contest
on its platform, is an indication that there may be an element of truth
in these speculations.
The lawmaker’s supporters held a rally
on the platform of Ekiti Bibire Coalition. The crowd included some
Peoples Democratic Party members , who asked him to contest.
In response, Bamidele, who said he
would heed their call, expressed optimism that Tinubu would not
begrudge him for nursing an ambition to take Ekiti State to the next
level. He said the message of reconciliation which Tinubu preached at
the meeting was deliberately distorted.
Bamidele said, “I am stating
unequivocally that by the grace of God and the encouragement of
well-meaning people of Ekiti State, I, Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, will
be contesting election to be Governor of Ekiti State come year, 2014.
It is an irrevocable conclusion based on popular yearnings as well as my
personal conviction and commitment to human capital development and the
creation of a new and united Ekiti State.
“The deliberate mismanagement of
information on the meeting’s proceedings no doubt, is in furtherance of
a series of attempts to push me and my supporters out of the ACN,
forgetting that even if they had succeeded in doing that, it still would
not deter me from pursuing my vision and ambition on other progressive
party platforms based on divine guidance and the leading of Ekiti
stakeholders home and abroad.
“I have an aspiration to be governor.”
The Chairman of the ACN in the state,
Chief Jide Awe, appealed to Bamidele to rescind his decision and work
together with Fayemi and others to continue to develop the state. He,
however, said that the only governorship ticket in the party had been
reserved for Fayemi because he had done well.
He said, “For us in the ACN, we are
meticulous about what we are doing and opinions that have been expressed
by a very large number of our people cannot just be wished away by a
handful of people.
“This is a party that has antecedents;
it is a party that believes in leadership and history. When the
leadership of the progressives talks, that is the law. It is bound to be
obeyed. Opeyemi should not play God. He has been actively involved
since 1999 and has received a huge support from the members of the party
in the state.”
Another chieftain of the ACN told our
correspondent in confidence that Bamidele, who played a role in Fayemi’s
victory, was afraid that he might be too old and out of reckoning by
the time the governorship ticket would swing back to Ekiti Central
Senatorial District where he comes from.
If permutations by the ACN work out, the
governorship seat will go to Ekiti South after Fayemi’s second term
where whoever wins would also want to spend two terms.
He said the lawmaker has been fortunate
since the dawn of the new democratic dispensation in 1999. The chieftain
urged him to reconsider his plans before venturing into the game. He
said that the ACN was still trying to see how the lawmaker could be
brought back to work with Fayemi, in order not to allow the PDP return
to power in the state.
He, however, said that the rhythm would change if Bamidele refused to heed the voice of reconciliation.
He said, “ Bamidele will be 50 on July
29. His ambition is to an extent borne out of fear that he may become
too old by the time (an) opportunity to contest for governorship
ticket would come back to Ekiti Central.
“He will probably be around 65 years
and definitely things would have changed and new leaders would
definitely have emerged. But he has forgotten that it is only God that
enthrones; you can’t get it if it is not given by God.
“The leadership of the party will
continue to talk to him to come back but if he is adamant, then we will
know that he certainly wants to play a spoiler role and we will tell him
that we are up to the task.
“We are all politicians and we will give
it whatever it takes. The ACN is not ready to lose and we will work
hard. We won’t leave anything to chance.”
While the crisis continues, the PDP is
waiting and praying fervently for it to continue since it stands
to benefit from it.
However, the PDP will also have a herculean task finding a suitable candidate for the governorship poll.
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