An All Progressives Congress group in Ekiti State, Ekiti South APC Mandate Group, said it had endorsed former House of Representatives member, Bamidele Faparusi, for Senate, to ensure the party’s victory in the 2023 senatorial election.
The group’s Chairman, Femi Adeleye, said the choice of Faparusi, who is also a former state commissioner for Public Utilities, was “in a deft response to former Governor Ayodele Fayose’s anointing of his former deputy, Prof Kolapo Olusola, to become PDP candidate in Ekiti South Senatorial District.”
Adeleye, in a statement titled, ‘Senate: APC members endorse ex-rep to buoy Oyebanji’s gov victory’, said that the group, “after expanded consultations with the leadership in the six local governments in Ekiti South Senatorial District, found Faparusi apt, fit and popular to rescue the party from imminent defeat.”
He continued, “Picking Faparusi from Ekiti South Federal Constituency 2 would inject political balancing, since the APC deputy governorship candidate, Mrs Monisade Afuye, had emerged from Ikere Ekiti, in Federal Constituency 1.
“Consequently, ESAMG has issued a one-week ultimatum to Engr Faparusi to declare for the Senate and salvage the APC from losing the District to the opposition parties.”
According to him, besides popularity and acceptability, he said that the former commissioner “could serve as a magnetic force to rally the six councils in the area for APC’s governorship candidate, Biodun Oyebanji, in the June 18 election.
He said that Faparusi, who served as the Deputy Director General, Fayemi Campaign Council during the 2018 Kayode Fayemi’s reelection bid, exhibited political dexterity and wizardry, by winning four out of the six councils in the area.
The group stated that the former federal parliamentarian achieved the uphill task despite that the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, Prof. Olusola Eleka, was from the district.
The group’s leader said picking Faparusi from Ekiti South Federal Constituency 2 would inject political balancing, since the APC Deputy governorship candidate, Mrs Monisade Afuye, had emerged from Ikere Ekiti, in Federal constituency 1.
ESAMG applauded Faparusi for his unwavering loyalty to APC and preparedness to work with Oyebanji after the crisis that trailed the governorship primary, where he was one of the aggrieved aspirants.
He described Faparusi as the most experienced and most politically savvy APC politician of Southern extraction that could defeat other contestants and amass votes for APC in the governorship election.
