Fayemi Picks Former Ado-Ekiti LG Boss, Egbeyemi, as Deputy

From Victor Ogunje in Ado

Former Executive Chairman of Ado-Ekiti Local Government in Ekiti State, Chief Adebisi Adegboyega Egbeyemi, a lawyer, has been nominated as the deputy governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress
(APC) in Ekiti State.

His nomination came after a long search for a deputy governorship candidate.

Egbeyemi was picked as the candidate after party leaders met for long hours to consider who was best suited to pair with former governor and immediate past minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, to fly the party’s flag in the governorship contest.

Egbeyemi’s choice came after speculations by the expectant public spread that certain eminent indigenes of the state had been picked to fly the ticket with Fayemi in the July 14, 2018 governorship poll.

Egbeyemi, an indigene of Ado-Ekiti, was born on May 8, 1944 to the family of the late Egbeyemi Alade and late Madam Tinubu Egbeyemi.

He later went to the University of Ife to read Law between 1977 and 1980 before proceeding to the Law School in Lagos for his Barrister at Law certificate and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1981 as a Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

He was appointed Commissioner .under the regime of Otunba Niyi Adebayo
of the Alliance For Democracy (AD)

Meanwhile, Egbeyemi’s emergence has been described as a boost to the chances of the APC.

An APC Chieftain in Ekiti State, Hon Opeyemi Bamidele, described Egbeyemi’s choice as a
lubricant that would straighten all rough edges in the party and give the people of Ado Ekiti a sense of belonging in the coming election.

Bamidele in a statement in Ado Ekiti on Thursday, said he didn’t just laud the stakeholders on the premise that Egbeyemi hails from Ado Ekiti, the town with largest number of voters in the state, but commended their efforts for taking cognisance of what the deputy governorship candidate represents in the politics of the state.

He described the former council boss as a popular politician across the state owing to his consummate and receptive nature, saying these would shore up the APC’s acceptability among the voters.

Bamidele described Egbeyemi as a bridge
between the old and young generation politicians in the state,

He described this as another impetus to the chances of the party in the election.

“When you talk of Ekiti politics, Egbeyemi readily comes to mind. He was one of those that made politics look meaningful to the younger generations in our dear state, so this is not only strategic but a masterstroke to those of us who knew Egbeyemi’s values .

“Many of the young politicians of today took their interest through him. Also, those who are holding priceless positions in politics in
Ekiti across party lines passed their tutelage under him, this makes his choice strategic, ingenious and pivotal to the success of our
party.

“We appeal to our people to rally round Dr Fayemi and Chief Egbeyemi in this onerous task of salvaging the state from total ruin.

“The rescue and corrective mission Dr. Fayemi is bringing on board is a collective task that must be accomplished for Ekiti of our dream to be realisable as quickly as posible”, Bamidele stated.