A popular activist, Comrade Debo Adeniran, has launched a devastating attack on the person of Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele, a member of the House of Representatives aspiring to unseat Governor Kayode Fayemi in next year’s governorship election in Ekiti State, South-West Nigeria. Both Fayemi and Bamidele are of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), a principal part of the emergent mega party known as All Progressives Congress (APC).

In a post on his Facebook wall, Adeniran, Executive Chairman of the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL), rubbished Bamidele, presenting him as an unreliable former activist. He wrote:

“What do you know about Opeyemi Bamidele? He attended UNIFE (now OAU) and UNIBEN; he became a liar (sorry lawyer); he was the NANS President during the SAP protests; he ran “Errands for Progress” in the USA during NADECO days; he was National Publicity Secretary of the defunct Alliance for Democracy (AD); he was Senior Special Assistant to former Lagos Governor Tinubu; he was Special Adviser to former Lagos Deputy Governor Pedro; he was Lagos Commissioner for Youth, Sports and Social Development; he was Lagos Commissioner for Information; he is a Member of House of Representathieves (sorry, Representatives); he abandoned Abiodun Ogunade (his former Comrade in NANS and underpaid but overused Media Assistant when the latter became critically sick); he also turned (still turn) a blind eye when another of his Students Union junior colleague, Johnson Amusan was involved in a near-fatal accident in the 90s and was requested to contribute to the cost of Amusan’s (still pending) surgery abroad; but bought a fleet of ‘tear-rubber’ buses and distributed tons of millions to campaign (still does) for election in Ekiti State; he wants to become the next Ekiti Governor! Would you rather campaign for this former activist?”

News Express mailed Hon. Bamidele seeking his reaction to Adeniran’s diatribe but he was not forthcoming. However, in what could be his indirect way of replying the CACOL chief, Bamidele wrote on his Facebook wall: “A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion. (Proverbs 18:2 - ESV).. Your opinions cannot be enforced. The beauty of democracy is the freedom of choice. Ekitikete, we shall prevail.”

•Photo: Hon. Bamidele’s governorship aspiration has brought his personality into focus.