Chief Segun Oni, a former governor of Ekiti State, has declared his intention to run for the state’s governorship on June 18 by joining the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Oni, who served as the state’s governor from 2007 to 2010, lost the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary on January 26 to Bisi Kolawole, a former party chairman. However, Oni claimed irregularities, which led him to leave the party three weeks ago.
Speaking on Voice 89.9FM, a private radio station in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, on Wednesday, the former governor disclosed that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would shortly complete the paperwork required by the SDP national leadership for him to be the party’s candidate and running mate. Tribune Online monitored this announcement.
He explained that the people’s persistent calls for him to run as a third force in the June 18 election led him to decide to join the SDP, claiming that disgruntled politicians from the two major parties are endorsing him in the new organization.
The politician from Ifaki revealed that four disgruntled APC governorship candidates, members of the South West Agenda for Asiwaju 2023 (SWAGA), a factional group in the Ekiti APC, members of the PDP’s repositioning group, and other individuals are assembling what he called a grand coalition to win the election.
We are focused on the future rather than the present, which is why I have decided to further my goals within the Social Democratic Party (SDP). I choose SDP to run in the June 18, 2022, governorship election in Ekiti state because it is a well-known party that has been active for a long time and has won elections in this nation. Because we think SDP is simpler to sell to Nigerians as a third force, we have recognized its potential. I’m in the process of being considered as a candidate, and it will shortly be finished,” he stated.
With fewer than four months till the election, the former governor argued that the people’s desire and ambitions constitute the most crucial structure required to defeat the APC and PDP in the state when asked how the SDP would prevail in the absence of a clear framework.
He expressed hope that the injustice and perceived impunity in the two major parties, along with his accomplishments as governor, would tip the scales in his favor.
He stated, “I want to state unequivocally that the opinions of the public as well as the opinions of politicians are being combined for this project.” We are looking at a party with promise and a familiar environment, and we are also receiving backing from well-known figures in the political landscape of Ekiti.
Let me clarify that four resentful aspirants are collaborating with us on behalf of the APC. Most of the individuals in PDP’s “repositioning group” collaborate with us. We collaborate with SWAGA members as well; SWAGA is a powerful organization in the APC with a sizable membership base.
The people of Ekiti will undoubtedly gain from this enormous compilation. I think Segun Oni, SWAGA, and the repositioning group’s goodwill will almost certainly be sufficient to win the election in Ekiti.
“We must come to the reality of how a party is properly managed, if it is not properly managed, it won’t attract good people, that is the fact. Whatever is right is right, in my opinion. I have been in politics for a while; my history is visible to us. My perspective on politics is that I am not interested in politics as a means of obtaining food, but rather in serving the people.
“The people are stronger than the APC and PDP, and they will take on the parties.” We are paying attention to what the people of Ekiti are saying in the streets, not what the political parties desire. Between 2007 and 2010, while I served as governor, I gave the people everything I had, and the people can attest to my accomplishments.
Before the election, Oni urged the people of the state to abstain from vote-buying and other types of coercion, saying that all efforts would be made to deter voters from jeopardizing their future for a bag of peanuts.
We’re prepared for the election in Ekiti. We will fight to outlaw vote-buying since it is against the law. Here, we’re not going to fold our hands and let things work. This abhorrent conduct is against the people, and we as a people need to take lessons from the past. Those who have the ability to advance our society need our support. For four years, will the populace still be eating what they were given on election day? The people in the state have not gotten any better over the past four years, therefore it is horrible, and we will fight against it,” he declared.
on the events of the PDP primary, Oni restated that the party’s policies on the secret ballot system were broken, and he said he left the party in response to the injustice.
He declared, “There are no known guidelines in any democracy in the world, and the PDP primary election was manipulated.” The truth must always be spoken, and we should not hesitate to call something evil what it is. Although the instructions state that the vote will be private, the delegates are showing the ballot to Ayodele Fayose, the former governor.
Let me clarify: the party in question should bear the responsibility for poor process management, not the individuals responding to unfair treatment. All we are doing is responding to the blatant unfairness.
