From Victor Akinkuolie, Ado-Ekiti
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A senator –elect in Ekiti State, Mr. Opeyemi Bamidele, has described his participation in Saturday’s National Assembly election and his emergence as a Senator to represent Ekiti Central Senatorial District as divinely ordained.
Bamidele said he never knew he could survive the gunshot injury he suffered on June 1, 2018 during the flag off of Governor Kayode Fayemi’s campaign in Ado Ekiti as the All Progressives Congress(APC) governorship candidate for the July 14, 2018 poll .
The APC chieftain, who was the Director General of the Kayode Fayemi Campaign Organization, was accidentally shot by a policeman who was manhandled by a crowd of supporters at the party secretariat located at Ajilosun, which landed him at a London hospital where he received medical care for several months.
Bamidele, who spoke in Iyin Ekiti after been declared by the Returning Officer , Prof Jeremiah Omotola on Sunday evening as the winner of the election, said his death or incapacitation through the bullets that hit his stomach and thigh could have robbed him of the opportunity, but for divine intervention.
“I participated in this election by miracle, I received divine favour and I will never take that for granted. Surviving such a gunshot injury was a rare privilege and opportunity
“Ekiti has a lot of intelligentsia, I mean those who are more intelligent and more exposed than me. But I believe that I received divine favour and I am prepared to give my people qualitative representation to reciprocate this gesture, because I never knew I could win with such a wide margin.
“ I really appreciate the spirits of other contestants, particularly my brother and candidate of the PDP, Mr. Obafemi Adewale. The race between us was like no victor, no vanquish. I am ready to work with him to improve the lives of our people , because I know he has his own ideas and we can still achieve that through my representation”.
Bamidele said he was not oblivious of the people’s desperate quests for more dividends of democracy, saying he was ready to partner Dr Kayode Fayemi to improve the economy of the state and the well being of Ekiti people in the areas of education, job creation , agriculture and industrial development.
He affirmed that being a former member of the House of Representatives would stand him in a good stead to be able to contribute more in the Upper chambers by sponsoring bills, move motions and perform oversight functions that would move the nation forward in all facets.
“I look forward to being able to represent our people in a qualitative manner. They are expecting more dividends of democracy . I know that a lot of mistakes can be corrected in our nation through enactment of new laws, abrogation of bad ones and by ensuring that our MDAs comply with financial regulations.
“I also know that there was a deafening level of unemployment in Ekiti and the only thing government can do is to provide enabling environment for the private sector to thrive .
“All the nine members of the National Assembly will find a way to work with Dr. Kayode Fayemi to improve farming, because we can’t run away from it. If we abandon it, that means Ekiti has to be at the mercy of the federal allocation.
“Ekiti is basically agrarian and we have to encourage agro allied industries to provide jobs for our army of unemployed youths.
“Also, our education needs a facelift. I am encouraged by what Governor Fayemi is doing in education through free education . We have this responsibility to work with our governor in all these areas to make the lives of our people better”, he said.
