Opeyemi Bamidele, who represents Ekiti Central Constituency I in the House of Representatives, has been in a running battle with Governor Kayode Fayemi over his ambition to contest the October 2014 governorship election in Ekiti State. The disagreement between the All Progressives Congress (APC) members appeared to have taken a dramatic turn last Thursday when police disrupted the launching of the aspirant’s campaign organisation, ‘Ekiti Bibire Coalition’ and campaign office in Ado-Ekiti. Bamidele spoke to journalists after the commotion, reports SEYE OLUMIDE.
WHAT could have triggered the disruption of the launch of your campaign group?
Let me thank Nigerians and particularly, the people of Ekiti State for their interest in this matter and for their patriotic concern for democracy and the state of politics.
I must say that the disruption of the launching of my campaign group and inauguration of my campaign office in Ado-Ekiti was a major setback for democracy in Nigeria and for Ekiti State.
This is a state gladly celebrated as a fountain of knowledge and those in government at the moment have also insisted that Ekiti is a land of honour. This is the least anybody could say about Ekiti. But one would not have expected the cause of an unprovoked act of state-induced terrorism against the people, like we witnessed today.
I insist that I have a right, like every other citizen of the state, to aspire to be governor. I am also eminently qualified and by the grace of God, I will lead this state.
I also have a right to answer to the clarion call of Ekiti people, which you have seen on today: that it is no longer a ruse. I have no doubt that the government of His Excellency, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has further enhanced my campaign to rule the state with what happened today.
Ekiti people have seen what happened that the governor instigated the blockade of roads leading to Ado-Ekiti as early as 6:30am and for several hours, vehicles could not move into Ado-Ekiti from all the major roads leading to the city.
It took the intervention of eminent citizens and statesmen in the state, including Aare Afe Babalola to prevail on the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to intervene in the matter and get the state police command, and with the help of soldiers who were drafted into the state, to send thugs out of the roads.
The ruse was that members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) were the ones that blocked the roads, but it became obvious to everybody at the end of the day that it was the state government that did not want my independent campaign group, Ekiti Bibiire Coalition, to be launched and did not also want me to have a platform to declare openly my aspiration to govern this state from October 2014.
But to the glory of God; the declaration had been done. The fact speaks for itself. Ekiti people had made it very clear that whatever love they have been professing to me was real. I must say that I am overwhelmed by the show of solidarity on the part of the people. The mammoth crowd that made it to the venue of the inauguration overwhelmed me.
We chose to hold this inauguration ultimately at our campaign office, to avoid any kind of crisis. We initially asked the State Commissioner of Police to choose any venue for us.
I am familiar with the provisions of the Electoral Act and I know that until 90 days to election, you cannot hold an open-air rally. The commissioner said you could do it in your office and you could rent a hall and do it there or in anywhere that is fenced.
Following his instructions, we placed four options before the Commissioner of Police and he approved one. But at about midnight on Wednesday, I got a phone call that we could not use the venue initially approved by the Commissioner of Police.
Even though it was very late to begin to demobilise people, as they were already at the venue setting up the stage we were going to use, I still called everybody and asked them to forget everything they must have done in preparation at the venue and let us use our office.
Interestingly, nobody had any problem with that. We got in touch with the Commissioner of Police and he said that was okay.
I will not be the first person to declare his intention to run for governorship in Ekiti in 2014; at least, all other aspirants in various parties had done their own. I therefore did not know why the state government would make a big issue out of my decision to declare my intention.
Who would you actually accuse of disrupting your programme; is it the police, thugs or the state government?
I would say clearly the disruption of the rally was at the instance of the Dr. Kayode Fayemi-led administration of Ekiti State. This was information I gathered at least five days before the event.
I wrote a letter to the governor, to say I heard that a meeting was held in the office of his Chief of Staff, which was attended by several political appointees, who felt it was an affront for anyone to run against a sitting governor, who is interested in a second term.
If anybody would have a second term, I do not think it should be done at gunpoint. I insist that my own right to aspire is inalienable, and as far as I am concerned, whether the governor likes it or not, he has challengers in me and in other aspirants. Anyone who wants to do a second term in office should leave it in the hands of God and allow the people to decide.
To intimidate people out of a race can only lead to tension in our polity and that was what happened today (Thursday).
I wrote a letter to the governor, which I published in the newspapers as a paid advertorial on September 17, 2013 and what I envisaged in the letter was what happened.
Let me say again that I take what happened as a battle, but it is not a kind of battle I would fight as an individual; it is a battle that God Almighty will fight. It is a battle that Ekiti people will fight and Ekiti people will get the kind of leader that they deserve. It is the decision of the people to choose who becomes the governor of the state come October 2014 and no amount of intimidation will make a different.
When you were about to start your speech at the event, you thanked the CP, IGP, Chief Afe Babalola and others and you also promised to spend just five minutes to address your supporters. Was there an understanding between you and the police to round off your speech in five minutes?
Just before I got to the venue, people made different phone calls — the organisers of the event, including my campaign manager — made calls to the Commissioner of Police. I also spoke with the Director of State Security Services (SSS) who wanted to clarify and be sure as to which venue we wanted to use. Of course, I assured him we were going to hold it in our campaign office. That was what I knew.
The decision to spend five minutes was actually out of my realisation of what had happened. I knew that people were charged. The government itself had caused a kind of tension across the state as early as 6.00 am when they decided to block all roads leading to Ado-Ekiti.
Some of the people in the crowd wearing our T-shirts came from far away places to Ado-Ekiti, but walked into Ado-Ekiti with different dresses. It was after they entered the city that they changed and put on our T-shirts; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been allowed to enter Ado.
My supporters went through several things but I felt the point had been made. People were on the streets all day and we had done a very comprehensive work because of the kind of things that happened in town.
We put strategies in place to ensure that the programme did not impinge on free flow of traffic; I therefore felt there was no need to spend too much time to talk. There was nothing to be said again because the people know the truth.
I am coming out in response to the demand of the people. The demand that I should run for governorship is popular and I have the aspiration to lead this state to prosperity, to the creation of a new and united Ekiti and I am not going to give up on this.
Are you not bothered that the face-off between you and the governor could cost your party, the APC, the governorship election in 2014?
I do not think so because what is happening is a clear demonstration of a sense of a leadership complex. I cannot understand why a sitting governor, who has all the money to spend, all the money to borrow, all the positions to give to people and the contracts to roll out will turn to say somebody in the House of Representatives is a threat to his second term ambition?
They keep saying I am not relevant but Nigerians can see what is happening. There are at least 20 other aspirants from different political parties in Ekiti but why this government has chosen to make me such an issue is a puzzle that only they can answer.
Like I said, it is a manifestation of leadership complex; leadership fear of the people. But as a Christian, what happened could only strengthen me. My Bible does not teach me about anyone who is anointed by God to succeed a person and that the person he is anointed to succeed would give him a chance or allow a peaceful transition.
I do not entertain any doubts that by the grace of the Almighty God, and by the popular demand of the people, I will succeed Dr. Kayode Fayemi as the next governor of Ekiti State, come October 2014. It is not going to be by magic or by violence — I am not given to that — but it is going to be through hard work, through the grace and favour of God and by the popular support of the people.
I will run a scientific campaign in this state. Today’s (Thursday) gathering is probably one of the few popular gatherings I will put together. I will go to people in their respective homes and move to every part of Ekiti; I will not run away from this.
If anyone thinks that the dispersion of my supporters would discourage me in this race, the person is mistaken. This is Opeyemi Bamidele and I say it with every sense of humility.
Every act of oppression can only strengthen the resolve of the people of Ekiti State, which is only a matter of time. This issue will settle itself when all the chips are down.
What if you are not allowed by the party to contest on the platform with the incumbent governor?
I do not see any reason I shouldn’t be allowed to contest on the platform of the APC, if it is a democracy. I have not seen anything that will disqualify me from contesting. The only way that can happen is if I am not eligible and by the grace of God, I am eligible.
But a candidate has been picked by the APC?
I am not aware that the APC has picked any candidate. I am aware that the APC has been registered; I am also aware that the APC does not have any structure in Ekiti State and I am aware that the only mandate given by the Interim National Leadership Committee of the APC was for people to go back to their respective states and open membership registers for the people.
No congress had been held throughout the wards, local government or state levels; no national convention had been held; so, we do not have local government executive, and state executive. How then can you have a candidate?
If anybody is saying the APC already has a candidate, then it is obvious that they do not want Ekiti people to be part of APC and I don’t think anybody will do that.
In any case, where I will contest and at what point and on what platform is a decision I am going to leave in the hands of the people of Ekiti State. I will consult widely; I am doing that already and will continue to consult.
A lot of people intervened today (Thursday) to even allow people to enter Ado-Ekiti; a lot of them do not belong to any political party. A lot of the people that came out were not politicians. Those who are politicians are not up to 10 per cent of the population of the voters. The people of Ekiti State will determine the platform I will run for the governorship.
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