The lawmaker denies allegations of working against Yoruba interests, calling the claims baseless and politically motivated.
[dropcap]S[/dropcap]enator Opeyemi Bamidele, Leader of the Senate, has firmly denied claims that he is working against Yoruba interests in the National Assembly.
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Responding to media reports, Bamidele described the allegations as “baseless, false, and unfounded,” asserting that he has consistently represented the interests of Ekiti Central, Ekiti State, the South-West, and Nigeria as a whole since his election to the Senate.
In a statement released by his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs on Wednesday, Bamidele refuted accusations attributed to him regarding the regional government and the Biafra issue. He challenged anyone with concrete evidence, such as audio or video recordings, to present them.
Some reports had falsely quoted Bamidele as saying, “If we allow the regional system in Nigeria, we would have automatically given the easterners Biafra.”
Dismissing the statement, Bamidele insisted that he had never made such remarks and emphasised that it was a deliberate attempt to tarnish his image and cause ethnic discord.
He clarified that he did not discuss the regional government at the recent Senate retreat on the review of the 1999 Constitution, held on 27th-28th September 2024.
“I never spoke about the return to the regional government, nor did I claim that allowing it would result in Biafra. This is deliberate misinformation and fake news,” Bamidele said.
The Senate Leader also warned that he would not hesitate to take legal action against any individuals or organisations involved in spreading falsehoods about him. He added that no proposal for a return to the regional government was before the Senate’s Constitution Review Committee, further debunking the claims against him.
Bamidele noted that the 10th Senate Constitution Review Committee was currently considering 53 constitutional alteration bills, including 37 fresh submissions and 16 carried over from the 9th National Assembly. None of these, according to him, proposed the return to a regional federal system.
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“I am not, and will never be, working against the interests of the Yoruba or any other group in Nigeria,” he stated.
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator and a recipient of the D9112 Superstar Icon Award, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
