The video, which has circulated widely on social media, has reignited concerns about federal lawmakers interfering in state-level democratic processes. For many observers, it was not an isolated incident. Weeks earlier, Bamidele had traveled to Ogun West, where he delivered what was billed as an academic paper but was widely interpreted as a political pitch for Yayi’s gubernatorial ambitions. He subsequently forwarded excerpts to Ogun State Deputy Governor Noimot Salako-Oyedele, apparently expecting a warm reception.
He did not get one. The Deputy Governor responded bluntly, telling Bamidele he was meddling in affairs that were none of his business and making clear that Governor Prince Dapo Abiodun remains the undisputed leader of the APC in Ogun State. Her terse reply — “Thanks, but no thanks” — has since taken on a life of its own in Southwest political circles.
The concern raised by commentators goes beyond personality clashes. When a federal lawmaker of Bamidele’s seniority inserts himself into a state’s succession politics, his interventions do not arrive as those of a private citizen. They carry the implicit weight of federal authority, federal patronage, and federal leverage. Critics argue this effectively converts what should be a locally driven democratic conversation into a transaction brokered in Abuja — precisely the kind of external imposition that has historically destabilized Nigerian politics.
