By Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti
The Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Chief Bisi Egbeyemi, has advised members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) not to betray the party for their candidates to be victorious in the next elections.
Speaking while inaugurating the APC Ekiti Central senatorial Campaign Council for the 2019 elections on Friday, Egbeyemi, said the only thing he foresaw that can dim the chances of the party is act of betrayal.
He said those found engaging in betrayal during elections shall face the consequences of their disloyal actions.
The Council is to campaign across the 57 wards in the district for the victories of President Muhammadu Buhari and senatorial candidate, Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele, the House of Representatives candidates in constituencies 1 and II, Hon. Sola Fatoba and Hon. Wunmi Ogiunlola respectively and the House of Assembly candidates in the next elections.
Egbeyemi said, “The task is not too much for us to achieve. We are here today because Bamidele didn’t die during the gunshot of June 1, 2018. God specifically preserved him for the senatorial ticket, because he will win.
“ There are those who cannot be trusted in our party, particularly when it comes to mobilising for elections, we shouldn’t do this for the sake ofour party.
“ If you are given any logistic, make judicious use of it in the interest of our party. Let us be dedicated. All we want is free and fair elections, we won’t tolerate crisis.
“We must learn from the mistake of the last governorship election. If you are given campaign tools and you diverted it, God shall punish such person.
We must be faithful to our party and the people.
“When I saw the list of the council, I had a conclusion that these were people that own the district, so the job has been made easier if only we can go home and work hard.
“I want you to visit those areas where our people didn’t do well in the last election and correct those mistakes.
“We are not going to buy votes, we are not used to it. Even those who did it in the last election got instant punishment. All we need to tell our people is that our candidates will do well the way governor Kayode Fayemi has been doing,” he stated.
The senatorial candidate of the party in Ekiti Central, Hon Bamidele said the candidates in the district would run a joint campaign since it was about the survival of the party and not about individual.
The APC state Chairman, Mr. Paul Omotoso, urged members to eschew division and educate voters to reduce the number void votes that affected the party in the last governorship election.
Omotoso urged them to begin voter education , bemoaning that the party lost over 18,000 votes to poor voting in the last governorship election held in the state thereby reducing the margin of defeat to 19,000.
“ No one can be willing to join PDP today , because it is crisis ridden.
So, as we are trying to poach good people in the opposition, don’t allow crisis that can dissuade those who want to join us. We must work like a team for these coming polls.
“We are not going to tolerate a situation whereby you will be our member and you will vote for PDP on the day of election .
“We are monitoring you, if we get you to be a mole in APC, then you are finished politically, because APC won’t allow the PDP to win again Ekiti, we will never make such mistake, so you need to beware and be loyal”, he warned.
Omotoso added that the PDP is no longer a credible alternative in Ekiti and Nigeria at large, saying any APC member who betrays the party shall pay for it dearly .
Going by its composition , the Deputy governor is the Grand patron of the council, while Chief J.F. Alake is the Chairman and is to be co-chaired by Chief Remi Oguntuase.
The list also include: Prof Adio Afolayan, as the Campaign Coordinator, Chief Ropo Ige , Deputy Coordinator, representatives of the civil servants, among other eminent APC members from the zone .
