Ekiti: Senator Bamidele Calls For APC Primary Election To Be Canceled

The lawmaker representing Ekiti Central senatorial district, Opeyemi Bamidele, has called on the All Progressives Congress to cancel the primary election of the party scheduled for today.

The ruling party in the state is expected to select its flagbearer today ahead of the June governorship election in the state.

Bamidele in a statement released on Thursday alleged that the people on the primary election committee are aides of the state governor, Kayode Fayemi, who are working to ensure that Biodun Oyebanji, a governorship aspirant, gets the party’s ticket.

There are claims that Oyebanji is the anointed aspirant of the state governor and has the backing of the Minister of Trade, Niyi Adebayo.

According to Bamidele, the primary of the party will not be fair if the APC decides to go ahead and conduct it.

The statement reads, “I hereby make an additional statement to place on record that it is quite disheartening to realize that some leaders of the party such as Otunba Niyi Adebayo and Governor Kayode Fayemi have anointed a candidate at the detriment of other gubernatorial aspirants whereas they have on several occasions denied the accusation of anointing a candidate ahead of the primary election.

“Even the blind can see and the deaf can hear that the Fayemi administration is clearly working towards manipulating the primary election in spite of Governor Fayemi’s promise to create a level playing field for all aspirants during the governorship primary.

“From the foregoing developments, the proposed APC governorship primary in Ekiti State is already bedevilled with reckless irregularities, serial violent attacks on innocent party members, the unlawful hijack and manipulation of the entire exercise by government functionaries, falsification of party membership register as well as illicit racketeering of results to favour Biodun Oyebanji, the anointed candidate of Governor Kayode Fayemi, Otunba Niyi Adebayo and Erelu Bisi Fayemi.

“Without mincing words, I vehemently berate and condemn the kangaroo governorship primaries scheduled to hold on Thursday, 27th January 2022 given the perceived irregularities, high handedness, intimidation and state-induced violence characterizing the exercise.

“To this end, I, therefore, call on the National leadership of our party to discontinue the process of the election before it leads to another round of embarrassment to the party in the courtroom because of gross misconduct and deliberate contravention of the party’s constitution.”