THE war of attrition between a member of House of Representatives, Opeyemi Bamidele, and the leadership of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) is traced to the fallout from the 2011 election, when he was denied the senatorial ticket he believed he won. Now, the ominous sign on how fierce next year’s Ekiti governorship election would be fought had begun to manifest, with a crack within the erstwhile united ruling party and how some of its members have prepared to fight dirty for the number one seat of the state. Ekiti governorship election had never been an easy ride. The 2007 election led to a re-run in 2009 and a six-year legal tussle that made it, perhaps, the longest in the history of electoral dispute in Nigeria. But the face-off between Bamidele and ACN has made some of the party members in the state that had been holding marathon meetings to have sleepless nights, as the implication of the infighting might distract them from jointly confront their arch political rival, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which is roaring like a wounded lion. Bamidele is bitter with the ACN and his bitterness was compounded by the endorsement of Governor Kayode Fayemi for a second term by the national leadership of the party when it visited Ado Ekiti and. The battle line is already drawn and the legislator has made it clear to whoever cares to listen that it is going to be a tough political battle. Although some may see his confrontation with the leadership of the party, especially its national leader, Alhaji Ahmed Bola Tinubu, would rather be seen as a strange development between a political godfather and his “son,” but to those familiar with the post-election relationship between him and his party leaders, his action was not a surprise. Bamidele, a former commissioner for Information and Strategy in Lagos State had wanted to go to the Senate in 2011. He, indeed, was said to have run one of the most sophisticated campaigns in the state, despite being one of the major financiers of the party before October 15, 2010, when the Appeal Court verdict terminated the PDP government. He contested the primary election for Ekiti Central Senatorial district against Senator Babafemi Ojudu, but the primary was truncated midway and Ojudu was announced as the ACN candidate for that election. Many believed Bamidele was in the early lead before the election was stopped by the powers-that-be at the national level and it was not surprising that he kicked against what he considered an injustice to his person and undemocratic manner the party favoured his political rival against his interest. But the party did not leave Bamidele in the cold; it negotiated and handed him the House of Representatives ticket, which had already been won by one Jimoh Ibrahim from Ado Ekiti, and went ahead to win the election to the federal parliament. But since then, there has been no love lost between his supporters of Bamidele and those of Ojudu, who on several occasions engaged in open confrontation. Bamidele did not only find it difficult to forgive his party for “robbing” him of the senatorial ticket, but believed they must pay for it, if he was not assured of the ticket the next time. But with what is going on with that ticket, especially the rumour that the party is already looking in the direction of the former governor of the state, Chief Niyi Adebayo, and former Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Dele Alake, for the ticket, despite the fact that Ojudu’s interest in a second term, Bamidele must have come to the conclusion that it would be impossible to realise his ambition within the ACN. In the last two years, he had not been seen in both the state government and party functions, ostensibly due to the cold war between him and most of the party chieftains in the state. In fact, he had been accused by some ACN chieftains of being more at home with the opposition than ACN members. Perhaps in reaction to his alleged anti-party activities, there were some political decisions by the state government and the party believed to have been made to decimate or clip his political wings. For instance, Bamidele’s supporters alleged that the last cabinet reshuffle by Fayemi was done to off-load some commissioners loyal to him, while his 83-year-old father was removed as the ward leader of the party in Iyin-Ekiti. In fact, Bamidele and his supporters are seen as “enemies within or fifth columnists” by most ACN members in Ado Ekiti and there were reported cases of some of them being physically attacked, the incident involving one Remi Oguntuwase being a reference point. Perhaps to stop the brinkmanship, the national leadership of the party was in Ekiti for a peace meeting with all the local leaders, where they advised them to sheathe their swords and embrace Bamidele and his supporters back to the fold. At the peace were the National Chairman of the party Chief Bisi Akande, Tinubu, Adebayo, former governor of old Ondo State, Evangelist Bamidele Olumilua, Alake and the state Chairman of the party, Chief Jide Awe. During the meeting, Tinubu specifically told all the 177 ward chairmen that Bamidele is and should be a force to be reckoned within the ACN. He also asked Awe to reorganise the party executives in all the wards to have representatives of Bamidele as members. As a way of total reconciliation, Tinubu was said to have told party leaders to ensure that Bamidele’s father, who was removed on account of old age as ward chairman in Iyin Ekiti, should be given special recognition in the coming reorganisation of the ward executives. On the endorsement, Tinubu said the step was taken to douse the raging tension and rumour that he had been sponsoring Bamidele against Fayemi since the feud between the duo started. According to him: “This is not the official endorsement; we are coming for official endorsement of Fayemi soon. “I have heard a lot of people saying I am the sponsor, the endorser and financier of Bamidele, but I am here now to clarify issues to all our members.” Tinubu, however, urged Fayemi to mend fences with all the aggrieved members, particularly Bamidele, for the next election in the state to be an easy ride. He also told Bamidele to accept the olive branch from Fayemi and drop his governorship ambition for the party to come out victorious in all future elections. His endorsement of Fayemi for a second term was a confirmation of earlier endorsement by all the wards and party structure in the state, as also echoed by the state leadership of the party that met at Adebayo’s residence in Iyin-Ekiti, where they okayed Fayemi to continue what they called “his good works.” According to them, Fayemi has brought unprecedented development to the state, citing about 700 kilometres of roads constructed with street light in Ado Ekiti, free computer for all secondary to and renovation of all secondary schools in the state, social security scheme for the elderly, which many states have now adopted, free medical care, revamping of dead industries, reviving of Ikogosi warm water spring resort and the recent self-help initiative, where government recently gave millions of naira to 85 communities to execute projects of their choice. A party member told The Guardian that immediately after Tinubu departed the state, Fayemi advised Awe and other party leaders to commence work on how to implement his advice on how to resolve the crisis and re-integrate Bamidele and his supporters into the fold. But while the peace meeting was going on, Bamidele expressed his disgust at the endorsement of Fayemi for a second term by Tinubu and declared that nobody can stop him from contesting next year’s governorship election. He told his teeming supporters last weekend at the meeting of his political group, Ekiti Bibire Coalition, that he was determined to contest the election and there was no going back.
Posted on: Sun, 21 Jul 2013 08:03:25 +0000
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