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Ekiti 2022: Ado Ekiti Went Agog as Bamidele declares Guber Ambition

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Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele amidst crowd on the street of Ado Ekiti
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Ado, the Capital city of Ekiti State was thrown into celebration mood on Thursday, December 23, 2021 as a leading aspirant of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming Governorship election in Ekiti Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele formally declared his intention to aspire for the office of Governor of the State.

Crowd of party supporters and admirers received the Senator representing Ekiti Central District at the Senate, as he formally declared for the 2022 governorship race.

The Iyin-Ekiti born federal parliamentarian received similar treatment when he plunged into the governorship in 2014 on the platform of the lowly rated Labour Party, which he turned into a political force that gave the PDP and APC a run for their monies in that political battle.

The intimidating crowd received Bamidele , who came into town around 12.48pm via Ilawe road at the popular Delight Hotels and the carnival-like road show began from there to Irona and Ijigbo roads and up to the APC State secretariat in Ajilosun in Ado-Ekiti.

Bamidele later got to the party Secretariat at 2:27pm, taking one hour 40 minutes to complete a journey that ordinarily should have lasted for 20 minutes due to the huge crowd that caused traffic logjam along Ilawe -Irona-Ijigbo-Ajilosun road.

Amid cheers by bystanders and followers, Bamidele, fondly called MOB, moved in a long convoy of vehicles numbering 200 to the party Secretariat at Ajilosun area of the Ado Ekiti capital city.

Bamidele was dressed in a white flowing Agbada with white Awo cap to March and was waving uncontrollably as he navigated the thick crowd that ushered him to the party Secretariat.

The motorists traveling through the popular Ado-Akure road had a hectic time in getting to Ikere-Ekiti due to traffic snarl that lasted for over an hour.

Most memorable was how the women, traders, youth groups, Okada riders and commercial motorcyclists, had trooped out en masse to cheer the federal lawmaker in support of his governorship ambition .

At Ijigbo, Irona and Ajilosun, several Okada riders had abandoned their daily hustling and joined the roving train, as it raved towards the party secretariat in an enigmatic and captivating fashion.

The Commercial drivers were not also left out in the extreme show of love as many of them also joined the campaign train that sauntered into the capital city an was heading for the APC Secretariat.

Political heavyweights that accompanied the federal lawmaker to the Secretariat include: the Director General of the Opeyemi Bamidele campaign organisation, Chief Akintade Olayisade, former Chairman of Ekiti West Local Government, Hon. Sola Fakanle, former Member, House of Representatives, Hon. Olamide Oni, Mr. Gboyega Oloniyo, Chairman of the APC in Ward B, Iyin-Ekiti (M. O. B’s Ward), Mr. Akinsanya, Kayode Lawrence, among others.

The political giant was received by the State party Chairman, Hon Paul Omotoso, his Deputy, Sola Elesin, Publicity Secretary, Segun Dipe and other bigwigs within the State Working Committee.

In the same vein, Sen. Bamidele and his crowd of supporters moved to his magnificent state-of the-art campaign office along the popular Ado-Ikere Road. The campaign office was commissioned by the APC State Chairman, Paul Omotoso amidst funfare.

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APC Picks Ondo Gov Candidate Apr 25, Pegs Form At ₦50m

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Ahead of the November 16, 2024 governorship election in Ondo State, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has released its timetable and schedule of activities leading to the party’s selection of a candidate on April 25, 2024.

The APC timetable released late Monday was signed by the party’s National Organising Secretary, Sulaimon Argungu.

According to the party, the sale of nominations, expression of interest and delegates forms for contestants will begin on April 3 and end on April 10, 2024, while primary election is slated for April 25, 2024.

Like its governorship primary in Edo State which produced Monday Okpebholo as the flag bearer, the APC pegged the price for the Expression of Interest and Nomination forms at N10m and N40m respectively for Ondo.

The party said female aspirants and persons living with disabilities are to pay for Expression of Interest while the Nomination Form is free.

“Youths from 25 to 40 years are to purchase Expression of Interest forms with a 50% discount on Nomination Forms,” the APC stated.

Some of the top contenders for the APC ticket in Ondo include Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, former Ondo deputy governor, who succeeded the late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu after the latter’s death on December 27, 2023. A former Commissioner for Finance in the state, Wale Akinterinwa; as well as Senator representing Ondo South, Jimoh Ibrahim, also want the party’s ticket.

Ondo and Edo are two of the eight states where governorship elections are held off-season due to litigations and court judgements. The others are Anambra, Bayelsa, Ekiti, Imo, Kogi and Osun.

Already, political gladiators are squaring up in the two states where governorship polls will hold this year. 19 political parties are expected to field a candidate each but the polls, like previous ones, will turn out as two-horse races or at best three-horse races.

 

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Edo Guber Poll: Uzodinma Heads APC Primary Election Committee 

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Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) Hope Uzodinma is to head the seven-man All Progressives Congress (APC) Edo Gubernatorial Primary Election Committee.

A statement late Tuesday night in Abuja announcing the names of various committee members by the party’s National Organising Secretary (NOS), Sulaiman Muhammad Arugungu showed that the committee will be inaugurated on Thursday by the National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje by 4 pm.

His committee is to conduct the party’s shadow election on Saturday, February 17 in the 193 wards of Edo State to determine APC gubernatorial flag bearer in the September 21 governorship election.

Cross River Governor Bassey Otu will serve as Deputy Chairman of the committee while Alh. Rabiu Suleiman is appointed as Secretary.

Other members are former Osun Deputy Gov Mrs Titilayo Laoye-Tomori; Plateau 2023 APC governorship candidate, Dr. Nentanwe Yilwatda Goshwe, Hon. Umar Hassan and Lawan Garba.

The party also announced Barr. C. C Udenwa as Chairman of the five-man Election Appeal Committee while Alhaji Yunusa Mohammed will serve as Secretary.

The APC cleared all the 12 aspirants jostling for its ticket to contest the September Edo governorship election.

The 12 aspirants are: Prince Clem Agba; Senator Monday Okpebholo; Lucky Imasuen, Hon. Anamero Sunday Dekeri; Pastor Osagie Andrew Ize-Iyamu; Engr. Gideon Ikhine; Col. David Imuse (Rtd.); Gen. Charles Ehigie Airhiavbere (Rtd.); Prof. (Sen.) Oserheimen Osunbor; Blessing Agbomhere, Hon Dennis Idahosa and Ernest Afolabi Umakhihe.

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Fresh Crisis Hits Labour Party  Over N3.5bn

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A fresh crisis is brewing in the Labour Party (LP) over the 2023 general election finances.

The National Treasurer, Mrs. Oluchi Oparah, has demanded accountability from the National Chairman, Julius Abure, over N3.5 billion realized from sales of forms and other donations to the party.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Monday, February 12, 2024, Opara said that LP has been plagued with financial mismanagement and corruption.

She alleged that Abure owns several houses and property.

Oparah said: “I stand before you today with a heavy heart and a sense of duty to the principles of transparency, accountability, and justice. With great reluctance and deep concern, I am compelled to publicly address the media regarding the egregious financial mismanagement and corruption that have plagued our beloved party under the leadership of Mr Julius Abure, the current National Chairman.

“As national treasurer, I am constrained to come before you and the public today because the internal mechanisms of our party have failed woefully to bring Mr. Abure to account for his brazen abuse of office and misappropriation of party funds.

“His appetite for power has grown unchecked, and he has deliberately undermined my duties and authority as stipulated in the party’s constitution.”

Meanwhile, the party has dismissed the allegations.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, said: “With the exception of the National Treasurer whose tenure is about to end in few weeks’ time, and who has served for 8 years as National Treasurer without a single record of party accounts, no other member of the national working committee has raised any issue of embezzlement against our National Chairman who made a pledge on assumption that the party has to be revamped.

Evidence is our proactive outing in the 2023 general election as the party presented for the first time a very good presidential candidate.

“Let it be said that the Labour Party has not earned N3.5 billion as claimed and that the National Chairman has not embezzled any money that belongs to the party as alleged.

 The records are there, except that Ms Oluchi Opara don’t even understand simple accounting even as a treasurer. An External Auditor is engaged by the party and our account is under constant scrutiny of INEC or other regulatory bodies.

“Abure does not own several houses and property as spuriously alleged by our estranged National Treasurer, even though no law prohibits him from owning properties.”

 

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