Politics
2022 Ekiti guber: Ado Ekiti agog as Bamidele declares ambition
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.