The build up to June 18 gubernatorial election in Ekiti State, on Saturday, assumed further dimension as former Governor Segun Oni announced his withdrawal from the leading opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South-West state.
Spokesman for Segun Oni Movement, Mr. Adebayo Jackson, confirmed the development to newsmen in Ado-Ekiti, saying his resignation is with immediate effect.
Jackson said the decision by Oni and his entire political structure to leave PDP, was taken at a stakeholders’ meeting, held at Oni’s residence in Ifaki-Ekiti, Ido/Osi Local Government Area of the State, earlier in the day.
The former governor is, however, yet to clarify his next party of choice, though fingers are pointing at the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
According to Jackson, Oni yielded to pressures from majority of Ekiti people, who are desirous of returning him back to the Government House, “under any political party”.
Jackson, a former Publicity Secretary of the PDP in the state, hinted that the former governor would not only be leaving PDP with hundreds of his supporters and followers, his resignation from the party is also with immediate effect.
“I can confirm to you that His Excellency, Engineer. Segun Oni, has finally resigned from the PDP.
“All the people of Ekiti have decided that they want Segun Oni as gubernatorial candidate on any political platform. And he had harkened to the calls.
“In fact, it was the image of Oni that has been promoting the image of PDP in Ekiti State. And once the PDP has decided to kill itself, we have to take a bow and leave.
“Ekiti people will not leave Oni alone to go like that because they can’t see any other person that can deliver what Oni has been doing for them.
“So, it is the voice of the people and not the voice of anybody. As it is now, both PDP and APC will be contesting against the people of Ekiti. And the symbol of the people of Ekiti State is Engineer. Oni”, Jackson said.
Corroborating him, in a separate interview, former Director of Segun Oni Campaign Organization, Lanre Ogunsuyi, said the former governor’s exit followed the high degree of injustice meted to Oni by some powerful forces in the party during the January 26 primary election.
“We have just said bye bye to PDP, and His Excellency thanked all the people that worked with him and dissolved all the structures that ran the purported primary in PDP.
“What we have now is a confluence of people, called ‘Segun Oni Movement’. And by next week, we should have sorted ourselves out, in line with INEC timetable.
“It is normal to speculate about politicians, especially a politician of Oni’s stature. He is a former governor and he has just left PDP. What is certain is that we have left PDP, but we are not certain about where we are going,” he said.
On why Oni left PDP, he said, “Because PDP is a cult. Oni has been consistent in the search for truth. Truth in Nigerian politics means you will be persecuted and all that, and that is all that has been happening.
“When you are consistently in the search of truth and fair play, those things have no value in Nigerian politics,” he said.
