The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Femi Bamisile

  • Buhari’s order against ballot box snatchers patriotic, says Ekiti ex-Speaker

    •APC youth leader: President’s ‘ruthless’ call for peaceful polls

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State, Femi Bamisile, has said the comment attributed to President Muhammadu Buhari that security agencies deal “ruthlessly” with ballot snatchers during elections was patriotic and not defective.

    Bamisile said the comment showed that the APC-led Federal Government has no plan to rig the February 23 rescheduled presidential and National Assembly polls.

    He said the President remained committed to credible electoral process, being allergic to any act that can undermine the nation’s nascent democracy.

    The former Ekiti State House of Assembly Speaker, who is also APC’s House of Representatives candidate for Ekiti South Federal Constituency II, predicted that President Buhari and other APC candidates would win in the state by 80 per cent.

    On Monday, at the APC Caucus meeting in Abuja, President Buhari said he had ordered security agencies to “deal ruthlessly with anyone who may attempt to snatch ballot boxes and undermine electoral system on Saturday”.

    But the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, described the presidential order as a call to lawlessness and a leeway for jungle justice.

    Bamisile, who addressed reporters in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, said: “The President didn’t give a shooting order the way former President Olusegun Obasanjo gave a ‘shoot on sight order’ against the Odu’a Peoples Congress (OPC).

    “President Buhari only said those who snatch ballots would have themselves to blame. So, I stand 100 per cent by him on this order. We are not in the 19th century when things were absurd. It is a barbaric act for anyone to snatch ballot boxes.

    “If anyone loses his life while snatching ballot boxes, he should have himself to blame. Nigerians should see elections as a process that will come and go and the nation will remain.

    “Why is the PDP afraid if they are not thieves? And they say if you steal, you go to jail. Why are you bothered, if you are not a thief?”

    Also, an APC youth leader in Delta State, Comrade Edafe Onokpite, has said President Muhammadu Buhari’s call for “ruthless” dealing with ballot box snatchers would ensure free, fair and credible polls.

    Onokpite, who is the party’s youth leader in Okpe Local Government Area of Delta State, told reporters in Warri that the President’s directive was meant to have a shift from the usual violent ways, which usually gave room for rigging.

    The youth leader said it was surprising that the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faulted the President’s statement directing security agents to deal with anyone caught in the act.

    Stressing that President Buhari’s statement was in the interest of Nigerians to cast their votes and make the votes count, Onokpite said there was nothing wrong with the statement.

    Recalling that Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike and former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose made “death-threat” statements during elections in their states, he wondered why the matter was being twisted out of context.

    Onokpite urged Nigerians to re-elect President Buhari on Saturday, adding that his antecedents show he is the President for the masses.

    “The Delta Steel Company (DSC) and the other companies former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and former President Olusegun Obasanjo sold without paying the workers are now working. Is it not President Buhari who is paying the same people Atiku and Obasanjo refused to pay? The choice is left for Nigerians to choose between light and darkness.

    “The PDP people want things to be done in the usual way of rigging elections. The President only insisted that the best way Nigerians can be allowed to cast their votes is for security agents to do their job thoroughly. What is wrong with that? I know PDP will oppose it because they are good at rigging elections. That is why they are opposing the President.

    “But Nigerians are wiser now; we are not fools. Anybody who wants to disrupt the elections should be dealt with.”

    To eligible voters, the APC youth leader said: “Go and cast your votes peacefully and canvass votes for your party. But if you want to cause trouble, whatever happens to you is your headache.”

     

     

     

     

  • Buhari’s directive against ballot snatchers patriotic, says ex- Speaker

    A former Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Hon Femi Bamisile, has applauded President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive to security operatives to deal ruthlessly with ballot snatchers.

    The directive, he said, is not defective but patriotic.

    The chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC) said the comment has proven the Buhari-led administration had no plan to rig the February 23 rescheduled Presidential and National Assembly polls.

    He argued the President is committed to credible electoral process, saying Buhari remains allergic to any acts capable of undermining the country nascent democracy.

    The House of Representatives candidate in Ekiti South Federal constituency II predicted Buhari and other candidates of the party would win in Ekiti by 80 percent on Saturday.

    Bamisile, who spoke in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday while interacting with journalists, said: “The President didn’t give a shooting order the way former President Olusegun Obasanjo gave a shoot at sight order against OPC when he was President.

    “President Buhari only said those who snatched ballots will have themselves to blame. So, I stand hundred percent behind him on this order.

    Read Also: Buhari warns ballot box snatchers

    “We are not in the 19th century when things were absurd. It is a barbaric act for anyone to snatch ballot boxes.

    “If anyone loses his life while attempting to snatch ballot boxes, he should have himself to blame.

    “Nigerians should see elections as a process that will come and go and the nation will remain.”

    He added: “Why is the PDP afraid? If you are not a thief and they say if you steal you go to jail, why are you bothered if you are not a thief?”

    He promised if elected, he would join the vanguard of those federal legislators that will make laws for the good governance of the nation, which on the long run will have positive impacts on the citizens.

    Bamisile said his utmost priority for the masses in his constituents would be bursary and scholarship awards to students and provision of solar- driven ICT library to aid learning and research.

    He added that provision of employment for youths and empowerment for women groups to alleviate poverty in the state would be given premium.

    Speaking on the allegation some Resident Electoral Commissioners had been bribed and ready to compromise for PDP, Bamisile said the leadership of the commission may not be the problem but those around him.

    “There are so many bad eggs in INEC but the way I see Prof Yakubu, isn’t a bad person.

    “But as a leader, he must watch those around him who could undermine credible electoral process by their conducts.

    “But to make the job easier for INEC, politicians need to be more civil, patriotic and realize that the game is temporary, it doesn’t last forever.”

  • Ekiti APC Primaries: Adeyeye others emerge consensus candidate

    …OGUNSAKIN WITHDRAWS

     

    Former Minister of State for Works, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, former House of Assembly Speaker, Mr. Femi Bamisile and a businessman, Mr. Sola Fatoba, have emerged as consensus candidates of Ekiti State All Progressives Congress (APC) for the National Assembly primaries.

    Adeyeye has no opponent in the party for the Ekiti South senatorial district while Bamisile will be affirmed as candidate for Ekiti South Federal Constituency 2.

    Fatoba became the candidate for Ekiti Central Federal Constituency 1 following the withdrawal of an aspirant, Dr. Jimlas Opeyemi Ogunsakin.

    Ogunsakin, announced his withdrawal at a news conference at APC State Secretariat, on Friday before the commencement of voting in the National Assembly in all the 177 wards.

    The primaries to elect candidates for the three Senate and six House of Representatives seats were still ongoing at the time of filing this report.

    The state APC Chairman, Mr. Paul Omotoso, commended aspirants for their maturity in ensuring that the crowded field was reduced to enhance the party’s chances of winning all the National Assembly seats.

    Omotoso assured that all those who acceded to the request of the party and stepped aside from the race, would be compensated by APC leaders.

    He said: “We are going to compensate them bountifully for helping our party reduce the burden of allowing a crowded race in this election.

    “Nobody was coerced to step down, they did so out of their volition after consultations with relevant stakeholders. These are people who
    have contributed to the party financially and physically and we shall appreciate them.”

    Ogunsakin said, he decided to step down from the race owing to the enormous respect he has for the party top hierarchy in the state.

    “I decided to reconsider my stand to stand for primary because of the respect I have for APC leaders . As a party man, I believe in party
    supremacy and respect for leadership and this I have demonstrated to avert crisis in Ekiti APC.

    Read Also: Primary: My victory is for APC , Ogun people – Abiodun

    With this, I have stepped down for Mr. Sola Fatoba and I won’t participate in today’s (Friday’s) primary , because I have withdrawn my aspiration in party’s interest.

    “I want to thank all my supporters and plead that they show understanding in this regard, because I did it not for selfish i nterest, but in party’s interest.

    “As a good party man, we have to respect the authorities, who deemed it fit to have a consensus in Ado/Irepodun-Ifelodun Federal
    Constituency.

    “Let me also state that my withdrawal is without bitterness or ill-feelings against anyone. And we shall all work hard to ensure
    that our party wins in 2019”, Ogunsakin said.

  • Ex-Speaker to Fayose: Ekiti people not interested in excuses

    Former Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Femi Bamisile, has said the people of the state are not interested in excuses from Governor Ayo Fayose on why he could not fulfill his electoral promises to them.

    Bamisile, who spoke on Monday during a meeting with leaders and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Emure local government area of the state, said Fayose can no longer cajole the people with excuses of poor financial situation which he was aware of before assumption of office.

    Rather than “shedding crocodile tears” over economic downturn, Bamisile counselled the governor to organize an economic summit because “he (Fayose) appears to be bereft of ideas on how to take rescue the state from the woods.”

    He said the latest tax regime imposed on the people is killing the economy in the grassroots and sending many small scale businessmen and women out of jobs.

    Bamisile argued that Fayose was not getting the policy direction for the state rightly because “he politicizes every actions of government, just to score unnecessary cheap political points.”

    The APC chieftain expressed fear that “if care is not taken, the state economy will collapse within the next six months” with the way it is being run under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    He said:  “Every government is liable to inherit both the liabilities and assets of its predecessors and also leave same for her successor, even the Ayodele Fayose led government is already leaving a debt profile of N58b (and still counting) with the Central Bank Bailout loan, despite the fact that he is yet to pay the full allowances of past political appointees captured in the bail out.”

    “Ekiti people are not interested in excuses for your failures. They are only interested in your capacity to develop the state using your intellectual property, most especially in the areas of economic prosperity and job creation.

  • Ex-Ekiti Speaker faults Fayose’s criticism of Buhari on new INEC chief

    Former Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Femi Bamisile, has faulted Governor Ayo Fayose’s criticism of President Muhammadu Buhari on the appointment of Prof. Mahmud Yakubu as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain urged Ekiti people and all Nigerians to ignore Fayose whom he accused of “unsavory comments against the person, actions and policies of President Muhammadu Buhari.”

    Fayose had last week accused Buhari of appointing another Northerner to replace the former INEC chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, describing the President as a “sectional leader who sees himself as mainly leader of Hausa/Fulani and not that of entire Nigerian people.”

    Bamisile in a statement issued on Monday by his media aide, Babs Daramola, said Fayose’s outburst represents “a further display of the governor’s proneness to political tantrums which are not and can never be a true representation of the genuine opinion of the good people of Ekiti state.

    He said: “For Governor Fayose to label President Buhari as a sectional president is a reflection of a state of mind possessed by a pathological penchant for mischief.

    “Mr. Governor should stop seeking unnecessary negative media attention and focus on governance. Here is a governor that barely one year into his misrule, already has so much problems on his hands.

    “Ekiti has regressed into the days of social and economic enslavement. I wonder how a governor who has suddenly turned himself to public enemy number one among his people can claim any moral justification to constitute himself a judge on President Buhari’s policies.

    “It is unfortunate that the governor who is preaching  principle of equity and fairness failed to realise that of the 12 national electoral body chairmen that have been appointed between 1960 and 2015, only Prof. Attahir Jega (who took over in 2010) has come from the Northern extraction.

    “It therefore amounts to either a characteristic deliberate miscarriage of fact or unimaginable ignorance of history on the part of Governor Fayose to claim that the South-South, South-East and South-West, who have had at least two shots each at the position are being marginalized.”