A former Ekiti State Governor, Chief Segun Oni, has formally defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) where he contested the party’s governorship ticket for the June 18 election in the state.
The Director of Media in the Segun Oni Campaign Organisation, said, “We have just said bye-bye to the PDP and ‘Oga’ (Segun Oni) thanked all the people who worked with him and dissolved all the structures that ran the purported primary in the PDP”.
Oni was defeated by Bisi Kolawole, who is now the PDP candidate,
Ogunsuyi did not disclose the party to which Oni was defecting but insinuations were rife that the former Governor, who lost out in the recently conducted PDP Governorship Primary election to the winner, Bisi Kolawole, in the party’s governorship primary which was held in Ado Ekiti on January 26 had concluded arrangement to reach to fly the flag of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) for the governorship election.
The former PDP governor, who left the party for the APC in 2014, returned in 2019.
The former campaign spokesperson said, “What we have now is a confluence of people called Segun Oni Movement. By next week, we should have sorted ourselves out and know where we (party) are going in line with Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) timetable”.
Reacting to speculations that Oni had joined APGA, Ogunsuyi said, “It is normal to speculate about politicians, especially a politician of Segun Oni’s stature. He is a former governor and he has just left the PDP. What is certain is that we have left the PDP, but we are not certain about where we are going”.
The former commissioner said that Oni left “because the PDP is a cult. Segun Oni has been consistent in the search for truth, truth in Nigerian politics means you will be persecuted and all that has been happening. When you are consistently in the search for truth and fair play, those things have no value in Nigerian politics”.
A former PDP State Publicity Secretary, Jackson Adebayo, who corroborated Ogunsuyi’s claim, said, “We will unveil the name of our new party by Tuesday.
Adebayo said, “The people of Ekiti have decided that they want Segun Oni on any platform. And he hearkened to their calls. In fact, it was the image of Segun Oni that has been promoting the 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 Segun 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. As it is now, both the PDP and the All Progressives Congress will be contesting against the people of Ekiti. And the symbol of the people of Ekiti State is Segun Oni,” he said.
APGA’s Vice Chairman (South West), Samson Seun Olalere led Oni’s associates to a meeting with the national leadership of APGA on Tuesday.
The meeting which was held behind closed doors had the national chairman of APGA, Chief Victor Ike Oye and the National Secretary of the party and former Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku in attendance.
It was gathered from a source privy to discussions at the meeting that the team came to APGA at the instance of the ex-governor who has concluded arrangements to dump the PDP for APGA.
According to the source, “Oni has already registered with APGA and purchased its nomination form, having secured firm assurances that he will be substituted as the party’s flag-bearer for the Ekiti State Governorship election.”
As part of the plan to unveil his new platform, the source said that Oni is mobilising supporters who will accompany him on a long road march from Ikare Ekiti to the state capital, Ado Ekiti.
The road march which is meant to showcase the strength of his support base will have the supporters drumming, dancing and waving the APGA flag all throughout the march.
