Why many heavyweight politicians failed in National Assembly polls – Ex-Speaker

Former Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Hon Femi Bamisile, has stated that many of those perceived to be heavyweights in the country’s politics lost in the just-concluded National Assembly elections because some of them took their people for granted.

Bamisile stated that he won the election to represent Ekiti East/Gbonyin/Emure federal constituency of the state owing to his connection to the grassroots , saying : “any politician who takes people for granted will be dealt with on the day of election”.

Former Governor Godswill Akpabio and Governor Abiola Ajimobi, were among the influential politicians that had lost senatorial seats in Akwa Ibom and Oyo State respectively.

He stated that aside his connection with the people, Governor Kayode Fayemi’s win of the July 14, 2018 governorship election, also swayed votes for the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Assembly candidates in the state.

Bamisile, candidate of the APC, defeated the incumbent federal legislator and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Hon Akin Awodumila.

Speaking with journalists on his victory in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday, Bamisile said he would make up for the incompetence of the present occupant of the seat by ensuring that he attracts federal projects to the constituency.

He said, “Ekiti has its own peculiarity in terms of election, our governorship is a staggered one. So, governor Fayemi winning the governorship contest really helped us because the National Assembly had always toed the line of governorship seat since 1999.

“Added to that was the fact that I have not occupied any political position since 2011 when I left the State House of Assembly, so I used this interregnum to fraternise with my people. I used the period to integrate myself into the system better and the reward was what I got, because I won the three local governments in that federal constituency.

“Politicians always have erroneous impression that they are the major players in politics, they thought they are up there above the people, but the people are the major players because they determine our fates.

“So, the lesson of the fall of heavyweight politicians in the just concluded National Assembly elections was that, people can’t be taken for granted, because the election day is always a day of reckoning,” he said.

“So, the lesson of the fall of heavyweight politicians in the just concluded National Assembly elections was that, people can’t be taken for granted, because the election day is always a day of eckoning,” Bamisile added.