A group of 10 notable political parties in Ekiti state has officially adopted Engr Segun, candidate of Social Democratic Party (SDP) in June 18, 2022 governorship election, as their own preferred candidate for the election.
Rising from their emergency meeting in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, Convener and Coordinator of the coalition, Oladimeji Adegbuyiro, of the Action Alliance (AA) clarified their decision was consequent upon the fact that Ekiti people were fed up with the two major parties in the state, that is, All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Mr Adebuyiro explained all new parties involved in the coalition took the decision after thorough research and opinion poll on the most acceptable candidate to the populace across the 16 councils of the state among the present contestants.
He said: “Segun Oni is the most experienced, qualified and competent candidate among the present candidates vying for Ekiti governorship seat. From churches to mosques, schools to associations, even inside commercial buses, the only name on people’s mouth is that of Engr Segun Oni for governor.
“We then decided upon our findings that we have to go the way of the people, except we would be deceiving ourselves. We can only appeal to the two parties not to rely on any untoward practice to thwart the popular will of the people”, he said.
He further appealed to entire residents of the state to support a process and a movement which he noted would work in their immediate and long term interest, urging them to bring their family members, friends and associates to a podium upon which everyone’s interest and that of the state would be reshaped for the better.
Noting that security challenges, outstanding pensions, salary arrears, grants to higher institutions, unremitted and wrongly diverted cooperative deductions, as well as loans obtained by the present administration are problems which the current administration and the immediate past PDP government have created for the people, but which former governor Segun Oni would resolve immidiately, upon his assumption of office.
According to him, they are issues which require that someone taking over upon termination of the Fayemi administration should be prudent and sincere manager of resources, so that Ekiti would escape it’s current state of very avoidable bankruptcy and all-round backwardness
The Coalition appealed to INEC and Security agencies to allow the will of the people to prevail in the forthcoming election, stressing that those who are planning to frustrate the will of citizens of the state should remember operation wetie violence in the aftermath of1983 election in the Old Ondo state.
The coalition, at a well-attended event in Ado-Ekiti, capital of the state, constituted various committees to ensure that all the members of the coalition from the 177 wards are intergrated into the working arrangement, with a view to assuring resounding success for Engr Segun Oni and the Social Democratic Party.
