Femi Bamisile, a candidate for governor of Ekiti State from the House of Representatives and the All Progressives Congress, issued a warning on Sunday, stating that the party will disintegrate if it did not select a candidate from the South Senatorial District on January 27.

Bamisile praised the APC National Working Committee for choosing the direct route for the Ekiti State gubernatorial primary, stating that this would allow members to choose the candidate of their choice. Nevertheless, he tasked the party leadership with ensuring that the process was impartial, fair, and free of interference.

In a conversation with reporters, the governorship candidate stated, “The national leadership of the party should deploy those who are independent-minded and who will not listen to any dictation to Ekiti to prevent a rancorous primary.”

“We aspire for a free and fair primary election. We must act justiciably in all of our interactions if we hope for Nigerians to continue to view our party as relevant. This time, those of us from the South won’t let anyone deny us the governorship.

“I think that one of the three candidates from the South will win the APC primary, but if someone else wins who is not from the South, the APC in Ekiti will likely lose. I have traveled to all places, so I am aware of what the people in Ekiti are saying. They are prepared for an APC candidate from the South.”
The candidate issued an additional warning, saying, “We, the people of the South, can no longer tolerate the conspiracy being contrived against us by the political class, with the way we were being insulated from producing the governor since 1999 and shunned from the political equation.”

“I agree with Governor Kayode Fayemi that one of the candidates has been anointed, but there needs to be a transparent and believable procedure in place for this person to emerge. To reiterate, I would not have been running in this election if Governor Fayemi had been to the South to select a council member as his candidate.

“Changing the goal posts mid-game is not honorable for the governor, who during his 2018 campaign pledged to win the governorship of Ekiti South following his four-year term. However, I am confident that this attempt at a conspiracy against the South will fail.

“Peace is very important in the sense that only one person will get the ticket,” the congressman added, pleading with party members and candidates to maintain calm before, during, and after the primary. They ought to let the people’s voices be heard.