As members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State awaited on Thursday for conduct of primaries for their National Assembly aspirants, a former member of the House of Representatives and now Senatorial aspirant, Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele, has cautioned the Senator representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly, who is also an aspirant, Mrs. Fatima Raji Rasaki, to desist from actions that could jeopardise the party’s efforts ahead 2019 general elections.
He told her that she cannot be senatorial candidate of Ekiti Central on the platform of the APC because she is not a clear member as, according to him, a letter of defection of Fatima Raji Rasaki, who recently defected from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the Obasanjo’s party, ADC, from her new party to APC has not been read by the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki.
Bamidele, however, said that available evidence had shown that President Muhammadu Buhari has no anointed candidate among the aspirants in Ekiti, contrary to position being canvassed by Rasaki to allegedly deceive the people.
The ex-Federal lawmaker maintained that Rasaki was not a bonafide member of the APC, since her letter informing the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki of her defection to APC has not been officially read on the floor of the upper chambers of the National Assembly.
The former Lagos Commissioner added that whoever will fly the party’s flag would go through the process of direct primary that would make every member to have right of participation and not by imposition.
Bamidele was reacting to Rasaki’s claim that the leadership of the party promised her automatic ticket to secure her support in the July 14 governorship election.
Bamidele and Rasaki are squaring it up for the APC ticket in Ekiti central senatorial district.
Rasaki’s had while appearing on Ekiti based media on Wednesday alleged that the party in Ekiti was plotting to renege on its promise, threatening that she may go to court stop the party’s senatorial primary in Ekiti Central holding on Thursday
Speaking while awaiting APC Collation Officer in the direct primary at ward A in his Iyin-Ekiti country home, Bamidele expressed disappointment at how the Senator had allegedly resorted to all manners of plots to get the APC ticket through the backdoor.
He said the best form of primary is direct mode, which affords every member the right to participate in who becomes a candidate , urging the Senator to prepare herself for a free and fair primary, rather than arm-twisting the party to accede to her request.
“She started by saying that the leadership of the party promised her automatic ticket. In Ekiti APC, the only aspirant that will emerge by consensus is Prince Dayo Adeyeye in Ekiti South senatorial district.
“If truly she has been adopted as the sole candidate, the party would not have cleared me for this primary. I procured the nomination form and I was duly screened by the party in Abuja, so this had clearly reduced her claim to a mere fallacy.
“What is her relevance in APC.? She joined this party on July 9 and in the July 14 governorship election, which Dr Kayode Fayemi won, she lost her unit, ward and local government in Ado Ekiti while I was in contact with my people from London hospital where I was hospitalized and won my unit, ward and local government for APC.
“I was deprived of this ticket eight years ago and I was shot on June 1, 2018 while fighting for our party to win the governorship election. If there is anyone that deserved automatic ticket, I am the most qualified.
“I am a candidate to beat any day, because I started this senatorial race eight years ago. Why would she be interested in automatic ticket?
“Let Senator Rasaki subject herself to a primary for the first time. I have never heard of any ticket she won through credible process, either the one that took her to the House of Representatives or
Senate.
“But let me emphasize that she can only do this in PDP, but this is APC, a party that has respect for participatory democracy.
“If everybody is being given automatic ticket, where would the people we are questing to represent stand in this matter?
“Instead of coming to campaign in Ekiti to win the primary, she was busy pursuing automatic ticket around. Was this in line with the tenet of democracy?”,Bamidele asked.
Bamidele added that he was confident of getting the party’s ticket in the primary and go ahead to defeat the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) in Ekiti Central, Barrister Obafemi Adewale, in the 2019 general election.
