By Lekan Adejuwon
Senator representing Ekiti Central Constituency in the 9th Assembly Michael Bamidele Opeyemi, MOB has revealed the secret behind his sojourn into Ekiti politics.
The lawmaker who is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters disclosed this while paying glowing tributes to Otunba Niyi Adebayo at the occasion of the launching of 2022 edition of his mega empowerment program to the people of his constituency on Tuesday.
Describing the former first Executive Governor of the state as amiable leader and mentor, Senator Bamidele stated that the journey started in 2010 while serving in Lagos State as a two-term commissioner.
According to him: “I received a call from Otunba Niyi Adebayo sometime in the year 2010 and he simply said, Opeyemi, I understand you are interested in becoming senator and you want to run for senate in Ekiti. I said, ‘Your Excellency, if I have your support, by the grace of God, I will’ and I said my only concern sir is that most governors and former governors want to retire in the senate, I’m not sure whether you are nursing such ambition and if you do, it becomes a no-no, for me without any argument.
“And Otunba said, Don’t worry about that, you have my full support and he said Dr Kayode Fayemi just left his house and I discussed it with him. Otunba did not only support me in words, he took a proactive step and the first step he took was to ask one of his closest allies to come to Lagos to take me and bring me to Ekiti and give me a list of people whose houses he should take me to for official introduction and that close ally who he invited from Ibadan to Lagos to come and bring me to Ekiti was Hon Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji BAO and that began the journey of political career in Ekiti”
The lawmaker added that no one else deserves to be the chairman of the occasion than Otunba Niyi Adebayo in view of his remarkable role in his political career
