Comrade Opeyemi Bamidele, where are your masses? *At last, the chicken of comrade Opeyemi Bamidele, has come home to roost with his so-called resignation as the caucus leader of his colleagues from Ekiti State in the House of Representatives, a post undeservedly bestowed on him by his party. He was apparently overpriced and ascribed with a status beyond his value. This is a guy whose trajectory reveals nothing, other than hollowness, vainglory, pretences and social climbing. A real carrierist. *The purported resignation, according to him, is to enable him focus on his morbid (read MOBid) ambition to govern Ekiti, (with all finality as revealed in the letter), in the year of our Lord, 2014. That is when Governor Kayode Fayemi is constitutionally due for re-election, and deservedly so, because of his stellar performance within the short period of three years in the saddle of governance in Ekiti. We will come back to this. *Before we go into the full unravelling of Hon Bamidele, it is apposite to begin by asking him the question, namely: if hes really a man of honour, why not resign and renounce his mandate to the House of Representatives obtained on the platform of his party APC, and not merely the leadership of the partys Ekiti caucus in the House? This is because there is no evidence that the post of Caucus leadership exerts more pressure on him than his legislative duties in the House. The latter (legislative duties) will surely put more pressure that will prevent him from concentrating on his illusory campaign for the governorship post. That he is not resigning his mandate tells us, without more, the fraud Bamidele represents. He wants to eat his cake and have it at the same time. This is however a challenge to his Constituency to take appropriate steps of recall for the betrayal of their mandate given to him. *And now to his full unravelling. First, whos Opeyemi Bamidele? There are sketchy records of his pursuit of any notable carrier path and growth in any private or public enterprise. His past only reveals his stint as a students union activist in his hey days at the university. Theres no evidence of his work experience with his first degree in Religious Studies, either as a Priest or a Lay Reader. As a Lawyer, we are also unable to find his outstanding and enviable record of legal practice in any department of law, either as a corporate lawyer, an advocate or as a solicitor of repute. *Even in the civil society and human rights world of struggle for democracy, we are not able to see any record. For instance we surveyed all the various youth groups that emerged as bulwark against military dictatorship in Nigeria and Yorubaland in particular, groups like Idile, Heritage, Action Group, OLM, OYM, NG, COSEG, Alajobi, etc, his name never showed in any one. During the period, we only heard he went on a self-imposed exile without anybody pursuing him or on his trail. The other trace we got is his personal relationship with Dr Fredrick Fasheun of OPC as a godson. *As an Ekiti indegene hes never known to have played any significant role in its development. Until his being elected to the House of Representatives, theres no record that he ever lived a long stretch nor schooled nor ever worked in Ekiti. *The credentials we however found is a recurring decimal of an opportunist operative, hanging on the shoulders of leaders, warming up to them, for personal gains and advantages. For instance, he has been a major beneficiary of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubus benevolence since 1999. He schemed himself shielding his real self that Asiwaju has availed him with one high profile political post or the other, with the attendant substantial empowerment. Is it therefore not shocking to decent minds, that Hon Bamidele is now biting the same fingers that fed him? People who are close to him (Bamidele) are however not surprised as they say that this is his character trait, a traitor and an innately and ungrateful over-ambitious person. *His riling letter to Governor Fayemi smacks of demagoguery as the contents reveal self delusion and an intent for deceit and confusion. It is also a flowery attempt to cover a vaunting ambition. Its as megalomaniac as its fraudulent, whipping up sentiments as truths to disparage Governor Fayemis government. What else does Bamidele expect Fayemi to have done that he has not done within the short period of three years that he has been in the saddle in Ekiti after the historic retrieval of his mandate through the Court of Appeal on October 15, 2010. The democratic struggle took three and half years and no visible role or support could be ascribed or traced to Bamidele in the struggle, except his annual ritual of sending rice, calendar and diaries apparently procured with the proceeds of questionable monies made from Lagos state since 1999. It is now clear that such gifts were the decoy and deceitful preparation for his unfolding overambition and journey to utter perdition. *On the other hand the heroic roles of Fayemi in the struggle for democracy is well documented. Only God spared his life. Without the role played by Fayemi and others, it is debatable whether the birthing of the present democratic Nigeria Opeyemi and his co-conspirators are basking in and taking undue liberty of, would have been achieved. *Let it be said loud and clear, Fayemi has impressively lived up to his mandate and has brought development, pride and honour back to Ekiti after the long years of anomie. His 8-Point Agenda crafted in line with the United Nations Millenium Development Goals (MDG), intended to banish poverty from Ekiti, has been implemented to the hilt using the overarching mantra of good governance, an element of the Agenda which drives all the other elements of the Agenda. He has dexterously and prudently managed and applied the available meagre resources in the state. *The dilapidated education system, a product of long years of neglect, is being impressively and fundamentally addressed. For instance the 184 secondary schools in Ekiti have been renovated to provide conducive ambience for academic pursuit. This is apart from the content, curriculum and instruments of learning as exemplified by the provision of laptops for teachers and students alike to bring them into the loop of information age. The tertiary institution in the state, EKSU, has been reorganised to reflect modern trends and have the real status of a university so called. *Fayemi has performed excellently well in the area of road infrastructure. The net work of newly constructed roads in Ekiti is unparalleled in the annals of the state. The opposition to his government even acknowledges this and they commend him for it. Ado Ekiti, the state capital is now a pride to behold, both day and night. *Agriculture, the mainstay of the States economy has been lifted beyond the subsistence level to commercial one through various innovative measures geared toward empowerment and food security. The Youth in Commercial Agric Development (YCAD) is for instance meant to take our teeming unemployed youths back to the farm with modern techniques and for commercial ends. This has started yielding results. *A visit to Ikogosi will tell any visitor that Fayemi has put Ekiti on the tourism map of the world. *Are we to talk of what we can call his magnum opus: the novel Social Security Scheme for the vulnerable elderly. This has caught the admiration of the whole world and it has become a peer learning issue not only among governments in Nigeria but all over Africa. *His health programs have improved the lives of the people. Similar to the renovation of all schools, all the hospitals in Ekiti are undergoing renovation and being rekitted. *But most important of all is the prevalence of a peaceful environment devoid of serious crime or conflict of the magnitude witnessed under previous governments in Ekiti or the ones we are witnessing in other parts of the country today. All these are products of the style of governance by Fayemi. He puts the people at the centre of his policies and actions. *Apart from all these self evident facts, the question may still however be posed whether Fayemi qualifies for a second term. The answer is in the affirmative for the following reasons. 1. The constitution allows it. 2. Democratic norms and practices allow it. It is only gross indiscipline for someone to challenge a performing governor like Fayemi from within. The luxury of democratic right cant avail Bamidele in this regard because Governor Fayemi has not exercised his right of first refusal to recontest more so when the masses of Ekiti are behind him and have demonstrated this in their various referenda of approval for him to run for a second term. *Finally, even if Gov Fayemi is not contesting (God forbid though), the geo-politics of Ekiti does not make Opeyemi qualify. Iyin Ekiti, his hometown, had produced two eminent governors, our revered General Adebayo as governor of old Western Region of which Ekiti was part of and his son, Omoluabi Adeniyi Adebayo. Also Bamideles Local Government of Irepodun/Ifelodun had also produced former Gov Ayo Fayose. It is therefore against the grain of common sense, equity and justice for Bamidele to think that Ekiti South will be slavish enough to allow him steal their right. Never! *It is obvious from his body movement and gyration, that Opeyemi Bamidele intends to use a different political platform with the active support, sponsor and goading from a quisling neighbouring state to consummate his ambition. We are also aware that hes a puppet of the epicentre of power in Abuja, his new paymasters. Their strategy is to use him to wage war in the West, make inroad by capturing Ekiti (using their language), shamelessly desperately rig the 2014 elections and move on to the State of Osun and from there to the rest of the Western states. But Bamidele and his sponsors must be told in no unambiguous terms that the masses of Ekiti are ready for their machine. He should be reminded that the West will no longer tolerate misgovernance any longer. No impostor or a sawdust Caesar like Bamidele will be allowed to govern any part of the West, Ekiti in particular again. One therefore begins to wonder where the masses of Comrade Bamidele are, whose calls he wants to obey and run as Governor. They are definitely not the masses of Ekiti but those of his Alice Wonderland. What a delusion of grandeur! Chief Olu Akinwunmi writes from Ise Ekiti.
Posted on: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 09:06:05 +0000
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