Senate leader Opeyemi Bamidele clears the air on alleged anti-Yoruba Interests

October 02, 2024

By Samuel Ogunsona

Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, the Leader of the Senate, has categorically denied claims that he is working against the interests of the Yoruba people in the National Assembly.

He described these allegations as “baseless, false, and unfounded”. Bamidele emphasized his unwavering commitment to serving the interests of Ekiti Central, Ekiti State, the South-west, and Nigeria as a whole since his election to the National Assembly.

In a statement released by his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs, sited on his X page on Wednesday, Bamidele challenged anyone with evidence to contradict his stance to come forward.

This move aims to address recent misinformation spread by some media outlets.

One such false claim attributed to Bamidele was that allowing regional systems in Nigeria would automatically grant “Biafra” to easterners.

Bamidele vehemently denied making this statement, labeling it an attempt to create divisions between him and the Yoruba people, as well as other ethnic groups in the country.

He said, “The claim is far from the truth. I never spoke about the return to the regional government at any forum; neither did I make a claim that ‘If we allow the regional system in Nigeria, we would have automatically given the easterners Biafra.’

“It is a sheer case of misinformation and deliberate fake news, which do not in any way represent my worldview about federal governance structure,” Bamidele said.

The Senate leader who promised to legally challenge any individual or establishment fabricating and circulating fake news against his person also noted that there is no proposal for the return to the regional government before the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution.

He further said: “How then can I oppose the proposal that is not currently before the Constitution Review Committee? I believe this statement is politically motivated to discredit me before Nigeria as a whole.

“Already, the 10th Senate Constitution Review Committee has received 37 fresh constitution alteration bills. The Committee is also considering 16 constitution alteration bills inherited from the 9th National Assembly, making 53 alteration bills altogether.

“None of these alteration bills proposed the return to the regional federal governance structure as practised in the First Republic. Linking me to an anti-regional government is a deliberate attempt to tarnish my image. I am not working against the interest of the Yoruba. I will never do so for any reason,” he said.