Ekiti APC restoration: Bamidele begs Tinubu, Oni, Fayemi for forgiveness, showers praises

A member of the seventh House of Representatives, and Chieftain of the all Progressives party, (APC) Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele, has praised the National leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu , former Governors Niyi Adebayo, Segun Oni and Fayemi, over their roles at ensuring that the party bounce back to reckoning in the future elections in Ekiti State.

Bamidele who stated this in Iyin Ekiti at the weekend while addressing the party supporters during a reunification rally, formalizing his return to APC with his teeming supporters, where he was received by the Acting State Chairman of the party, Mrs Kemi Olaleye and the State Working Committee, reiterated the need for unity among members.

The former lawmamer who begged party members for forgiveness and understanding over his defection to labour party, however stressed that the main take away for all members of the party should be that there is need to build a strong internal democracy and foster unity among all members, saying no individual can unilaterally wins an election without the contributions of others.

Bamidele who noted that his defection to Labour Party to realise his ambition earlier during the 2014 govetnorship poll in Ekiti was only constitutional and borne out of the necessity created by the circumstances of that time, was emphatic that this should not be mischievously misinterpreted to mean that he was out to play a spoiler’s role against his friend, Fayemi.

“I pray that God will return all our losses and this could only happen when we are one and united. APC has lost elections persistently because we are divided. Whoever knows me well will realize that I am not a desperado, nor a traitor. I have always believe strongly in the will of God.

“There was nothing the then President Goodluck Jonathan didn’t do to ensure that I stepped down for Governor Fayose before the governorship election, but I stood my ground as a progressive. That was why I didn’t defect to PDP in the first place, because I was conscious of my background in politics.

“But I want to apologize to whoever I must have offended by my defection to LP to contest at that time .In politics, differences can come in diverse ways. It has come for us in APC and we lost an election, so what should be paramount to us now is reconciliation and how to restructure our party”, he stated.

Earlier in hier speech, the State Acting Chairman, warned the old member against discrimination, assuring that “both the old and the new will enjoy the same privileges. We are not like other parties that usually stipulate number of years before you can contest. You enjoy full privileges the moment you are accepted.

“I want to tell all our members that the storm is over. Ex-governors Oni and Fayemi fought for so many years, but they are now best of friends. Whatever happens has become history and we have to forge ahead”, Olaleye said.