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From Priscilla Ediare, Ado-Ekiti
Ahead of the 2027 elections, the Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, has said that all aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State contesting National Assembly seats would participate in the primaries, regardless of whether they emerge through consensus or direct primaries.
He explained that Nigeria’s electoral framework provides for two modes of candidate selection: consensus and direct primaries. He clarified that even candidates who secure consensus endorsements, like himself, must undergo a formal affirmation process.
Bamidele, who urged the aspirants not to interpret electoral setbacks as personal failures, said those who may not eventually emerge victorious should accept the outcomes of the primary election in good faith, noting that only one person is expected to clinch the ticket.
Bamidele, who represents Ekiti Central Senatorial District at the National Assembly, made the remarks while speaking with newsmen in Ado-Ekiti, the capital of Ekiti State, during a meeting with stakeholders of the party in the district.
The Senate Leader also cautioned APC members against any form of alliance with opposition parties, particularly the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which he said is actively seeking to expand its membership base across the country.
According to him, opposition parties are monitoring developments within the APC, and they could take advantage of any sign of division to recruit dissatisfied members.
He said, “The electoral law has prescribed two modes of primaries. Everybody will face primaries—everybody, including myself.
“The only thing is that there are two modes of primaries. One is through consensus, the other one is through direct primaries. Even those of us that would emerge through consensus, we still have to go through the primaries, because I would still need people in all the 57 wards of Ekiti Central Senatorial District to vote for me by affirmation.
“You still have to go there, be ready to conduct elections, until it is obvious that there is no other person who is contesting. And then you still have to put the question, to be sure that there is no one who is opposed to that consensus. If you have one person, just one person, being opposed to it, you still have to go through it. You still have to go through direct primaries.
“So, everyone will participate, but the point is, those who don’t have a consensus endorsement will have to participate in the direct primaries only. And for those who, for whatever reason, may not emerge victorious at the end of the primary election, my advice always is that they would not see themselves as failures.
“Because if you have a position and you have more than one person who is aspiring to occupy that position, then definitely only one person will get in there. So the other people should just not see themselves as having failed.
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“It could be that it is not their timing yet. It could also be that certain circumstances or geopolitical considerations might not favour them at the particular time. But what is important is to remain consistent, to remain relevant within the party, knowing that by God’s grace, their own time will also come.”
While underscoring the importance of unity, he appealed to members of the party to remain steadfast and committed, stressing the need for effective internal management to prevent any form of implosion within the APC.
“It is nothing unusual that ADC is a new party that is looking for membership. It is also a fact that, you know, in every situation, in every institution, there are people that could be disgruntled, you know. And ADC has been making overtures to people. It is not peculiar to Ekiti; it is across Nigeria. What is important to us and what we are happy about is that ADC is not making any progress in their overtures.
“But it is important that we continue to emphasise to our people on the need to continue to be steadfast and to manage the affairs of APC in a way that there is no implosion. Because that is exactly what ADC and some other opposition parties are waiting for, so that they could have the benefit or the opportunity of membership recruitment from aggrieved members of APC.”
In his remarks, the Chairman of the APC in the state, Sola Elesin, praised members for the continued peace within the party.
Elesin, who described Ekiti Central as a model of political stability, expressed that it would be difficult for the opposition parties to make inroads in the district.
He assured aspirants contesting of a level playing field in the coming primary election.
“We are here to remind ourselves why our party in the Central must cooperate. We are the ones holding the Senate Leader title; that is very important to us, and we are very proud of it.
“We do not want anything to disrupt the peace we have been building in the district. For those contesting, there will be a level playing ground where consensus is not possible.
“Let us go to our units. We are targeting nothing less than 500,000 votes for Governor Biodun Oyebanji. For those opposing us, let us engage them and encourage them to join the moving train.”
The Secretary to the Ekiti State Government (SSG), Prof. Habibat Adubiaro, emphasised unity among party faithful, insisting that there was no division within the district.
“We in the district are one, and we should see ourselves as one. There is no division and we are going to tell the whole world that we are brothers and sisters. We will go wherever our leaders ask us to go.”
