EKITI GOVERNORSHIP: Opeyemi Bamidele returns

A member of the seventh House of Representatives and a governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Ekiti State in 2014, Opeyemi Bamidele, has joined the state 2018 governorship race.

The politician who later defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), declared his intention at the party secretariat in Ado Ekiti.

According to him, he is working with other APC leaders as the state former governor, Kayode Fayemi and Senator Babafemi Ojudu, to make sure that the party wins the coming governorship election on July 14.

He said, “Yes, the minister (Fayemi) visited my office in Abuja and the Special Adviser on Political Matters to the President, Mr. Babafemi Ojudu, also wrote a goodwill message to me as I declare my intention today. To me, this is a sign of good development.

“All these shouldn’t give room for speculation that someone was trying to persuade the other to shelve his ambition for the other. All the party leaders must work together, so our working together and their visits to my office were not for selfish interest or about our ambitions alone.

“What these signaled was that, it is no longer the old story. It showed that the APC is no longer at war with itself. It shows that the party is becoming more united and stronger. It shows that we are giving each other mutual respect.

“I have made it clear at every political gathering I attended that I have settled the rift with Fayemi. The two of us are frontline party men and we have to work together to rescue our party. We are doing same with Engineer Segun Oni, all in the interest of our party,” he said.

READ ALSO: 2019: Gov Bello arming militias —Melaye

On the clamour by aspirants from Ekiti South that power must shift to the zone, Bamidele said, “I want to say that zoning is a legitimate issue. It is also legitimate for every district of the state to aspire in line with the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“The constitution of our party does not respect zoning and even the constitution, so we are free to contest irrespective of the legitimacy of the agitations.”

 

RipplesNigeria… without borders, without fears

Click here to join the Ripples Nigeria WhatsApp group for latest updates.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now