Bamidele: I Have a Strong Pact with Fayemi on Ekiti Guber Poll
Victor Ogunje
A member of the seventh House of Representatives, Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele, has disclosed that he had an agreement with the former Governor Kayode Fayemi, on how All Progressives Congress (APC) can win the July 14 governorship election in Ekiti State.
Bamidele said he decided to settle rift with Fayemi purposely because the two leaders need to work assiduously to ensure that the party returns to power in Ekiti State.
He described the agitations by aspirants from Ekiti South senatorial district that power must shift to the zone as a legitimate one, clarifying that such would not preclude contestants from other districts from exercising their rights in line with the constitution.
Bamidele and Fayemi have been seen fraternising with each other in recent time, which some people interpreted to mean an attempt by the minister to persuade the former federal legislator to renounce his ambition for the ex-governor to scheme a return to Ekiti government house.
The two parted ways prior to the 2014 governorship poll, forcing Bamidele to contest on the platform of Labour Party for the 2014 gubernatorial election.
Speaking in Ado Ekiti yesterday while declaring his governorship intention at the party’s secretariat in Ado Ekiti, Bamidele said the pact between him and Fayemi was not for personal aggrandisement but for the corporate benefit to the party.
“Yes, the minister 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 ambition for the other. All the party leaders must work together, so our working together and their visits to my office was 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 in war. It shows that the party is becoming more united and stronger. It showed that we are giving each other mutual respect.
“I have made it clear at every political gathering I attended that I have settled 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 Segun Oni, all in the interest of our party”, he said.
He said the agitations for zoning won’t preclude him and others from exercising their rights to contest for the governorship seat.
“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 didn’t respect zoning and even the constitution, so we are free to contest irrespective of the legitimacy of the agitations.”