WITH last weekend’s defection of Opeyemi Bamidele, a member of the House of Representatives and governorship aspirant in Ekiti State from the All Progressive Congress (APC) to the Labour Party (LP), the picture of how the battle for Oke Bareke would be fought next year is getting clearer.

The national leadership of the APC has endorsed Governor Kayode Fayemi for a second term, having passed a vote of confidence on his administration and expressed satisfaction with what they described as “unprecedented achievements” recorded in the last three years in the state.

Since the governorship election would be keenly contested among major three political parties in the state- the ruling APC, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and LP, which is beginning to register itself in the minds of Ekiti people- political watchers are eagerly waiting for who would fly the PDP flag among its 23 aspirants.

There is no doubting the fact that Ekiti PDP is swimming in murky waters and deep in the dilemma of whether to run a direct primary for its aspirants or allow a candidate to emerge through consensus arrangement, as being suggested by the Presidency.

But many aspirants, including former governor of the state, Ayodele Fayose, have vigorously canvassed for direct primaries, while others, led by Minister of Police Affairs, Caleb Olubolade, are saying the party has no choice but to abide by the suggestion of the Presidency.

Besides, there is a sharp disagreement on whether the party should respect its zoning formula or jettison it to allow whoever the party considers to be the best candidate to emerge to face the incumbent.

If the party retains the zoning formula, Ekiti South senatorial district would certainly be favoured in presenting a candidate, since it remains the only district yet to produce a governor since the creation of the state.

And if the campaigners for the zoning formula get the upper hand, Olubolade, Fayose and Senator Ayo Arise would be removed from the political radar, while the attention would be focused on Dayo Adeyeye, Gbenga Aluko, Dare Bejide, Abiodun Aluko and Bimbo Owolabi.

But the battle seems to have been shifted to Abuja, where some of the aspirants believe all the thorny issues would be resolved and decision made on who picks the party’s ticket for the election.

In fact, state chairman of the party, Makanjuola Ogundipe, has temporarily relocated to Abuja.

However, top on the discussion among political analysts in the state is the perceived desperation of the Presidency to “capture” Ekiti State to get in roads back to the Southwest.

Analysts are of the belief that the sudden resuscitation of the LP in the state is one of the Presidency’s strategies to win the election.

With crises-ridden state PDP and the LP, which seems to be another “political baby” of the Presidency, the APC would certainly face a tough challenge before it can escape the double-edged sword of the Presidency.

Just as All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and PDP in Anambra State are believed to be six and half a dozen, so also are the PDP and LP in Ekiti.

That Bamidele dumped APC for the LP did not surprise political watchers in the state, having observed how the lawmaker has been hobnobbing with the LP chieftains in the neighbouring Ondo State.

Indeed, as earlier as January this year, Bamidele’s posters flooded the state capital, Ado Ekiti, with indications that he had joined the LP.

But he denied knowledge of it and blamed his political detractors for printing the posters.

However, by last Sunday, Bamidele came public in Emure-Ekiti to announce that he had officially joined the LP to realise his governorship ambition.

He addressed a press conference shortly after visiting the home of his late follower, Foluso Ogundare, who was killed last month by gunmen suspected to be party thugs.

Speaking in the company of Ogundare’s wives and children, Bamidele said he resolved to jettison APC because the party “lacks internal democracy.”

He alleged that desperados and those averse to the tenets of democracy had hijacked the party’s leadership.

On the choice of Emure-Ekiti for the declaration and not the state capital, Bamidele, who hails from Iyin-Ekiti, said he took the action because not only is the town a renowned progressives platform, but to also demonstrate his respect for Ogundare and commiserate with the people of the town over the loss of their promising son.

He said: “I and my supporters are quitting the ranks of political desperadoes to embrace a new political order that will take Ekiti to a new height.

“Let it be known that as I am quitting their party today, I am also giving them quit notice in Government House.

“I am also giving quit notice to poverty and hunger in our land. The least we can do in his memory is to commit ourselves to this struggle for the defeat of tyranny of incumbency and the enthronement of democracy in Ekiti State that is founded on internal democracy, which recognises and respects constitutional rights of every eligible citizen to aspire to an elective opposition.

“We have decided to seek another progressive party with immediate effect, rather than proceeding to register as new members of APC.

“While not attempting to undermine the APC as a newly registered party with progressive inclination, we make bold to say that the leadership of APC in Ekiti has been hijacked by pseudo-democrats.

“To this extent, we have resolved to allow a major realignment of vision and personalities of good people drawn from among the various political parties within the political class in Ekiti State to form a new leadership platform that will work with other stakeholders outside of the political class at home and in the Diaspora to spearhead the much-needed sustainable change.”

But in a swift reaction, state Chairman of the APC, Jide Awe, described Bamidele’s exit as “good riddance to bad rubbish,” saying the party cannot feel his defection, having not contributed to its development.

Awe said the defection connotes that Bamidele has no regard for the people of his constituency, saying he expected him to consult with the people of his constituency before taking the step.

Also, the party in a statement signed by its Director of Communication, Segun Dipe, said: “Bamidele’s declaration of his governorship ambition today in Emure and on the platform of LP is a welcome development. This is democracy and it is about free entry, free exit.

“We are not surprised, because we know his destination all along and we had called the attention of our party members to his impending declaration for the LP.

“While wishing him good luck, however, we will advise that he stays courageous and empathic with his ambition. We are saying this because some months ago, he allegedly printed posters to this effect, which he denied.

“Secondly, why declaring at Emure at a time the dead was still being mourned in the town? Our people can see how he is now dancing on the death of our citizen in Ekiti.

“Fayemi had to postpone his trip to Emure in reverence of the dead. Why can’t Bamidele allow the dead- a victim of a recent violence in the town- to be buried before going there to play politics?

“This confirms our position that he actually masterminded the crisis and fatality in the town for his selfish interest.

“More so, since his ambition was concocted in Akure and his supporters are there, would it not have been better he declared there?”

Also reacting to Bamidele’s exit, former governor of the state, Niyi Adebayo, said his defection to LP would not have any effect on the political fortunes of APC in next year’s polls.

He stated that the exit of the federal lawmaker would make things easier for the ruling party in the state, which has since adopted Fayemi as its candidate on the strength of his achievements in all sectors.

Adebayo said: “I believe his defection won’t have any negative effect on the fortunes of our party in the next year’s election.

“In fact, it will make things easier for the party. The biggest mistake he Bamidele made was leaving the party. His major grouse was that the ruling party had endorsed Fayemi.

“If I were in his shoes, I would have stayed in the party, because the party made him what he is today.

“It will not affect us in any other way, that is the biggest mistake he has made and I don’t think that it will work well for him. The people of Ekiti have embraced the APC and that is the winning party.”

While assessing the strength of other political parties in the state, Adebayo described them as “very, very weak” to challenge the APC in the election, adding that if the elections were held today, the APC would coast home with not less than 70 per cent of the vote.

Besides, shortly after Bamidele’s declaration in Emure-Ekiti, youths of the community, under the aegis of Emure Youths Development Council (EYDC) berated him for giving the people in the state wrong impression that the town was his stronghold.

The youths, in a press release signed by Kayode Ojo and Dele Adebayo, EYDE president and secretary, respectively, titled, ‘Don’t set our people against their benefactors,’ expressed concern that while Ogundare was yet to be buried, Bamidele was using the circumstances of his death to fester his political campaign.

According to the statement: “We see Bamidele’s choice of Emure-Ekiti as the venue of his declaration as insensitive to the pains of our people, more so with the impression he is creating that Emure people do not have the human milk of kindness to deeply feel the pains of the loss of their illustrious son during Bibiire’s event organised by Bamidele.”

Though Bamidele has not kick-started his campaign in the state since he decamped, it is expected that some aggrieved members of the PDP and APC would form the fulcrum of LP.

But he may need to convince the people of the state that he is not on a vengeance mission, having lost the senate ticket to Babafemi Ojudu and denied governorship ticket by the APC, which pushed him out to become a pawn in the game plan of the Presidency and PDP to win Ekiti State.