●It’s another rumour from the pit of hell
Asiwaju Segun Oni Campaign Organisation (SOCO) has debunked report doing the rounds that he had stepped down his governorship bid on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) for the All Progressives Congress, APC, candidate.
The organisation said the report was another rumour from the pit of hell.
Chairman, Media Advisory Council for SOCO, Mr Moses Jolayemi said in a statement in which the rumour was rebutted that: “Our attention has been drawn to yet another wicked and senseless rumour sponsored by the sinking All Progressives Congress (APC) that the leading candidate in next Saturday’s governorship election in Ekiti, Chief Segun Oni is planning to step down.
“It went further to allege that Oni has met with the Presidential candidate of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and President Muhammadu Buhari on the matter.
“This is another lame propaganda from the rumour mill of the leprous APC-led government of Governor Kayode Fayemi and his band of desperate power mongers who have long lost touch with the people of Ekiti.
“Segun Oni at a press conference earlier today (Wednesday) had debunked the wild rumour, saying “those conceiving such idea need to have their heads examined” adding that there is no iota of truth in this, just as in every other falsehood being churned out by the APC to confuse the unsuspecting public.
“Have you ever seen a sane man withdrawing from a contest he is divinely destined to win? he asked.
“According to Oni, he had never met with the President, Asiwaju Tinubu or any member of the APC for any reason whatsoever in the last few years adding that he is fully in this race and poised to win, armed with the massive support of Ekiti people, home and abroad.
“The former governor however, said he was not surprised at the myriad of lies flying out from the barn of his opponents, stating that both APC and PDP have reached their wits end and only looking for a way where the road appears hermetically closed.”
The statement by Mr Jolayemi quoted Oni to have said: “We are emboldened by the determination of our people to end the era of social, economic and financial servitude in which innocent Ekiti people have been sentenced in the last 12 years,” stating “no amount of lies and propaganda can save both the APC and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from the impending defeat and disgrace.”
Oni, therefore, urged Ekiti people to come out en-masse and vote for Segun Oni on Saturday, insisting that this was the only weapon the people had to chase away those who had over the years mismanaged the resources of the state and brought untold hardship on the people.
Also earlier on Wednesday, a coalition of political parties in the state gathered at the situation office of the SDP to pledge their total and unalloyed support for Oni in the forthcoming governorship election, describing the former governor as the only candidate capable of leading the state out of the present economic and social quagmire in which Ekiti had found itself, courtesy of the duo of APC and PDP.
It will be recalled that Segun Oni, during his first outing as governor of the state, brought the rising debt profile of Ekiti to net zero.
It is on record that Fayemi increased the debt profile of Ekiti state from net zero to N30.5 billion in his first term.
According to the Debt Management Office (DMO), Abuja, the debt profile of Ekiti as of December 2021 was N106 billion.
Despite the lean resources available to the state, Oni paid all arrears of pensions and gratuities of Ekiti retirees, from 1994 before the creation of the state without a single borrowing either domestic or external.
This, Jolayemi said, was in addition to the gale of development projects that Oni executed, most of which remained visible to all and sundry and “this is why they are clamouring and canvassing for his return.”
Ekiti people, Oni declared, had made up their minds where they wanted to go and “no amount of evil machinations of the enemy can stop them.”
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