The
member representing Ekiti Central Federal Constituency I in the Federal House
of Representatives, Mr. Opeyemi Bamidele, has vowed to go ahead with his
plan to contest the gubernatorial election in Ekiti state despite the
decision of leaders of his party, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN),
against such move.
Bamidele,
who spoke to newsmen on Saturday in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, noted
that the national leader of the ACN, Senator Bola Tinubu cannot stop
him from contesting eyeing the Ekiti Government House in 2014 saying
“the Tinubu that I know will not take any step that will undermine
democracy, so what was reported was not what Tinubu said. Tinubu that I
know will want Ekiti people to take their own decision and not impose on
them.”
The
former commissioner in Lagos state during the administration of Bola
Tinubu stressed that he decided to shelve the celebration of his 50th
birthday on July 29
th in honour of Ekiti people, who he said
“are still languishing in poverty and I cannot be celebrating birthday
in the midst of poverty.”
The Ado Ekiti/Irepodun/Ifelodun
constituency representative in the National Assembly, who addressed his
supporters at his new situation office in Ado Ekiti on the platform of
his Ekiti Bibiire Coalition, insisted that nobody, including his former
boss, Tinubu could stop his ambition adding that he was unperturbed by
the purported endorsement of Governor Kayode Fayemi by leaders of the
ACN.
According to him, “It is only God that crowns the king,”
pointing out that he could not drop his political ambition on the
premise of mere command from anybody.
Reacting to the peace parley
initiated by Tinubu and national chairman of the party, Chief Bisi
Akande, where Fayemi was endorsed, Bamidele , said “I was invited for
the meeting but I got the text message late. But my argument still
remains that Tinubu did not endorse Fayemi at the meeting.”
He
said: “Nobody can stop me from contesting the Governorship election. I
cannot fight with Tinubu just like it is not compulsory that we should
agree on everything at all times.
“I
will always respect my benefactor and Senator Tinubu is my benefactor
whom I respect so well. But Ekiti is first on my agenda. But Tinubu that
I know want the best for Ekiti. If I could work for him for eleven and
half years to make Lagos State a model, then I know he will want
somebody like me to work with the people to make Ekiti a model.”
Mr.
Bamidele, however, did not mention the political platform under which
he would advance his gubernatorial ambition, saying he will make it
known soon.
Reaffirming his enormous respect for the ACN leader,
the federal lawmaker revealed that his decision to contest the election
was not out of his own personal conviction, but based on the requests of
Ekiti people.
Consequently, he stated that he would not be
desperate in his bid to become the governor of the State and would not
resort to violence or intimidation of his political opponents in the
name of politics.
As if to confirm that he was only obeying the
wish of his supporters, Bamidele asked them “Were you not the one that
called me to come and contest?” to which they answered that “We were the
one”.
He then appealed to them to be civil in their approach in
the face of provocation even as he asked Fayemi to stop dropping
Tinubu’s name to campaign in the state, saying he should be man enough
to bear his own political cross
culled from:informationng.com
