Ekiti 2014: Fayemi Jittery, Showing Signs Of Leadership Weakness —Bamidele inShare Honourable Opeyemi Bamidele was in Ekiti State recently to launch his campaign for the 2014 gubernatorial election in the state. But the Police and members of the National Union of Road Transport Employees had other plans for him as the rally was disrupted. In this interview with newsmen, Bamidele say the disruption of his rally will not dissuade him from contesting. ALO ABIOLA was there for LEADERSHIP. How will you describe the police action during the inauguration of the Ekiti Bibire Coalition office? I must say that what happened, to my mind was a major set-back for democracy in Nigeria and Ekiti state in particular. This is a state that is widely celebrated as the fountain of knowledge and those in government are insisting that it is also a land of honour. Therefore one could not have expected such a provoked act of state- induced terrorism against the innocent people of this state. I insist that l have a right like any other Ekiti citizen, to aspire to be governor of this state. I insist that I am eminently qualified to lead this state. I insist that l have the right to answer to the clarion call of the Ekiti people which you have seen as demonstrated today that it cannot be a ruse. I have no doubt that the government of Dr Kayode Fayemi has further enhanced my campaign by this action. Ekiti people have seen what happened; how government instigated the blockage of the road leading to the Ado-Ekiti as early as 6am. For several hours, vehicle could not move into Ado-Ekiti; it took the intervention of prominent citizens and elder statesman of the state like Are Afe Babalola to prevail on the Inspector General of Police to intervene in this matter. A lorry load of soldiers had to be drafted in, in order to send thugs out of the roads. The ruse was that it was the members of the Road Transport Association that blocked the road, but the truth of the matter was that it was the state government that did not want my group, Ekiti Bibire Coalition train to be launched so that l can declare my intention to contest the gubernatorial seat come October 2014. But to the glory of God, the inauguration has been done as they say in law that the facts speak for themselves. Ekiti people have made a statement today that whatever love they might have for me is real. I am overwhelmed by the solidarity of the people, the mammoth crowd that made it to the venue of the inauguration. We chose to hold this inauguration at our campaign office, to avoid any form of crisis. We had the opportunity to hold the inauguration at four venues and we asked the Commissioner of police to pick any one that is suitable to them. He picked one. Because l am familiar with provisions of the Electoral Act that stipulated that campaign cannot take place until 90 days to election. Around 4am on Saturday, l got a call that we cannot use the venue, despite all that has been done to prepare the place for the occasion, l told them that they should stop that we are using our office at Basiri along Ado-Iyin road. Nobody had problem with that. The Police Commissioner and the Director of the State Security Service, SSS said it was okay and that they were comfortable with it. I am not the first person to make his intention known that I want to contest for the governor of the state next October. At least five other aspirants from other political parties have done it that is why l don’t know why the state government will make my own a big issue. Who disrupted the inauguration, the Police, thugs or the State Government? I will say that the disruption of the rally was at the instance of the Dr Kayode Fayemi led state government. This was the information I gathered five days before the inauguration. I wrote a letter to the governor that l heard that a meeting was held at the office of the Chief of Staff and attended by some of his political appointees, who said it was an affront for anybody to hold such a meeting when a sitting governor still wants to go for the second term. If anybody will have a second term, l did not think it should be done at gun point. I insist by my own antecedents that the right to aspire is alienable and as far as I am concern whether the governor likes it or not he has a challenger in me and even in other aspirants. Anyone who needs a second term in office should leave it in the hands of God and let the people of Ekiti decide. To intimidate people out of a race can only lead to tension in the polity and that is what has just happened. A copy of the letter I sent to the governor was published as a paid advertisement and you can see what happened. Let me say that I see all that happened as a battle, it is not a battle that I will fight as an individual; God will fight the battle for me because l know that things cannot just continue this way. Was there an undertaking between you and the police that you are spending only five minutes? Before l got to the venue of the event, my supporters have been tear-gassed by the police. The reason for this, I am yet to find out. But while this was going on, the Director General of my campaign called the Commissioner of Police and l did same to the Director of SSS that the event will still hold in our campaign office. The decision to spend five minutes was out of my realization of what had happened. The government has caused a lot of tension as early as 6 am, therefore the people are charged since they were not allowed to enter the town. A lot of them that you saw with our T shirts have to put on other cloths and trekked many kilometers to the venue where they eventually put on the ‘I love you MOB T shirts’. As far as l am concern, a point has been made. People have been on the street as early as 6am and the kind of the traffic grid lock that occurred in the town to the extent that everything stand still, l felt that there was no need to make a long speech or keep the people too long again after all the trauma they have been subjected to by the state government with their connivance. There was nothing else to say, it was the Ekiti people that made a request and I came out to identify with their request and aspiration. It was a response to a popular demand of the people that was consistent with my own personal aspiration to lead this state to a more united Ekiti; l will not give up on this. In the build up to election you are experiencing this type of acrimony; don’t you think that during election there could be more violence? I do not think so. What is happening is a demonstration of a leadership complex, because I cannot understand a sitting governor who has all the money to spend and borrow, has the capacity to give people money and position that can touch the people’s life more than anybody, now think that somebody who is a House of Representative member is a threat. They keep saying that I am not relevant. But Nigerians can see what is happening. We have about 20 aspirants in Ekiti today from different parties, why has it that this administration has chosen me to be an issue? That is a puzzle they can only resolve themselves. It is a manifestation of a leadership weakness and the fear of the people, As far as I am concern and as a Christian, this will only strengthen me. The anointed one is going to succeed if a peaceful transition is allowed. As far as I am concern, I do not have any doubt, that by the grace of Almighty and the popularity of the people, I will succeed Dr Kayode Fayemi as the governor of Ekiti state in October 2014. It is not going to be a magic, it is not going to be by violence, I am not given to that, it is going to be through the grace of God and hard work. With the popular support of the people, I will run a scientific campaign in Ekiti State , this is one of the few popular gathering that l will put together, l will go to every nooks and crannies of Ekiti, l will not g run away for this political battle. I will run a campaign of issue and will make it scientific, if somebody think that what happened will discourage me from stopping my vision, that person is mistaking. I will never give up. I believe that every act of oppression will only strengthen the resolve of the people of Ekiti state. It is only a matter of time, this issue will settle itself. By the time the chips are down and you are denied a ticket in your party what will happen next? There is no reason why I will not be allowed to contest with the incumbent governor. This is a democracy. As far as I am concerned, I have not seen anything that will discourage me not to contest since I am eligible. I am not aware that APC has picked a candidate; I am also aware that APC has no structure yet in Ekiti state. I am aware that the only mandate given by the interim national leader of the party was that people should go back to their states and open a membership register to register people. No congress has been held either at ward, local government or state level and no national convention took place. There is no state, local government or ward executive, how can such a party have a candidate? At any rate, where I will contest and at what platform is a decision I am going to leave in the hands of Ekiti people. I will consult widely, I have been doing that and I will continue until the people of Ekiti decide which way to go. A lot of people intervened before people were allowed to come to Ado Ekiti to attend the inauguration of our campaign office. A lot of people you saw today on the street are not politician. As far as l am concerned, the platform on which I will run as the governor of Ekiti state will be determined by the people of Ekiti. Bibire kosefowora
Posted on: Sat, 26 Oct 2013 05:32:48 +0000
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