“SEGUN ONI: GOOD RIDDANCE TO BAD RUBISH,” By Bayo Arowolaju

This is from Shakespeare’s play “Troilus and Cressida” in 1609 which is still evergreen over 400 years after the death of the celebrated and legendary writer.

This idiom was made popular by American journalist Francis Preston Blair in 1841. Chief Segun Oni has just practically brought it home to us in Ekiti State, politically.

The rubbish in the ways of Segun Oni started when the now notorious Ayodele Fayose brutally assaulted him in 2006 causing him bruises, and grievous bodily harm. Like a good Christian he is, Segun Oni gave water to those who assaulted him. God quickly rewarded him with a change of address to the Ekiti State Government House as a Governor in 2007.

In 2009 a conspiratorial judiciary at Ilorin ordered a rerun-election in a few local government areas with the spurious claim that red ink was used for accreditation by INEC officials during voting. It was not that those who voted were not qualified to vote. And above all, it wasn’t Segun Oni that ordered the use of the red pens.

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The rerun election gave Ayodele Fayose opportunity to demonstrate his unfounded hate and bitterness for Segun Oni. First, as a PDP stakeholder in the stake, he allegedly requested getting 50% of all elective and appointive positions in government after the election as a condition for supporting Governor Segun Oni. In reply, Oni threatened to resign rather than agree to that greedy offer.

When Fayose could not get his Shylock offer, he campaign openly for Kayode Fayemi the opposition candidate everywhere, with a mobile billboard that reads: VOTE FOR FAYEMI. Yet, the corrupt leaders in the PDP did not see anything wrong with that. They condoned the open imbecility.

In the end, Court of Appeal in Ilorin gave the election to Kayode Fayemi, and removed Governor Segun Oni from office.

In 2018 when Segun Oni could not tolerate the stiff-naked and recalcitrant Fayose he opted for APC. He was immediately recognized and rewarded with the very high position of Deputy National Chairman for the South. This gave the opportunity to revamp the disorganized and disoriented APC in Ekiti state after defeat of Fayemi.

Later Segun Oni resigned to contest the governorship election of Ekiti after consultation with all relevant party stakeholders in the state including the Minister representing the state in the Federal cabinet, Dr. John Kayode Fayemi, who gave their consents without any interest expressed or intended.

The primary election was just about two weeks away when Fayemi, against his vowed declaration not to contest came in as the President’s candidate for the election and railed his way through with thuggery and money bags. He was declared the winner even after not resigning his ministerial appointment 30 days before the primary election according to the stipulations of the constitution, party guidelines, and the electoral law. The rest is history.

Now in 2021 after the shameful loss of the 2018 governorship election as a sitting governor and fielding his deputy, Ayodele Fayose sent emissaries to Chief Segun Oni begging him to come back to PDP and redeem the lost glory knowing that he’s the only person that can win for the party. After a series of meetings and promises, Oni agreed. Fayose later changed his mind midstream knowing that Segun Oni cannot be used as a stooge by him.

He picked unsuspecting Bisi Kolawole a known long-term aide of Segun Oni. He canceled the support he had galvanized for about four aspirants as the long-term sole leader of the party. He provided every strategy, tactic, and logistics for the unprepared and mystified Bisi Kolawole. Fayose bribed and bought his ways through the rank and file of the very corrupt party including illegally participating in buying votes on the floor of the primary election voting hall, corrupting the voter’s list, and disenfranchised many prospective delegates.

In the end, Ayodele Fayose justified his means, however horrendous they were. Hon. Bisi Kolawole his pet aspirant, became the candidate of the party. Some ignoramus now hopes he will be the next governor of Ekiti State, which is not the intention of Fayose, which may not be willy-nilly known to Bisi Kolawole, the principal actor who may end up just being used and dumped.

If I were Bisi Kolawole, I would have quietly sat down, ruminated over my candidacy with these questions: why me, but I didn’t tell Fayose I want to be Governor, I was only interested in being the party chairman, why is Fayose’s interests so high that he’s bankrolling every aspect of my campaign – office accommodation, vehicles, tours, and logistics, buying of delegates and just everything and he knows I don’t just have the money.

Let me help with guessed answers. Rumor has it, Fayose never intended for Bisi Kolawole or any PDP member wins to take over the leadership and structure of the party from him. Fayose has been working for APC and Fayemi for a long time. Fayose had sold PDP to Fayemi for more than a pot of porridge, which translates to millions of dollars. And this includes making sure Segun Oni didn’t win the PDP primary.

Part of the bargaining tool is promised disposal of the heavy EFCC case hanging on Fayose. The benefit to Fayemi is a smooth ride to Oke Ayaba by his successor, which will help his presidential illusion and to retain his grips on Ekiti after October 2022 even if the illusion of the presidency becomes fleeting. The rumor concluded.

This will still be a win-win for Fayose. He will be in charge of all the monies for the PDP governorship election like during Eleka’s time. He will surely disburse as he wants with the hundreds of millions if not billions of Naira he used 2018. So he will recoup all his expenses on Bisi Kolawole with compound interest. All the presidential aspirants will send him to delegates, another trading post for him where $50,000 can become N50,000.

Thereafter all subsequent PDP allocations coming to Ekiti goes through the Lord of the Minor. So everything is a win-win for this slothful brigand.

And knowing all these, some people still want Chief Segun Oni, an intelligent, honest, transparent, dignified, humble OMOLUABI to remain in the same political party with this kind of people? A political party has long been defined as a group of like-minded people.

Where does Segun Oni find his like mind amidst a group of pen robbers and charlatans? It’s time to say a final goodbye and stay home to serve his God full time. But the people, the common people, the Wretched of the Earth, the hungry and unemployed, the old pensioners and retirees some of who are dying without the benefits of their youthful services to the state will not allow him to leave them behind to the hands of their tormentor’s and oppressors.

They shouted loud and clear, it’s Segun Oni we want. Bring back Segun Oni to us. Like God harkened to cries of the Israelites in Egypt, Segun Oni answer his people’s call but under a new platform and a new political party – Social Democratic Party (S. D. P).

This time, Segun Oni is coming back with a Coalition of real friends of the people. Those who feel their pains and hear their cries. Those who are to heal the land of Ekiti from the devastating locus and cankerworms as rulers that have devoured them in the past years. Not to those who have been stealing from the Commonwealth to line their pockets and those of their friends and family members. Those whose only celebrated achievements in 8 years in power are chicken farms where birds did not excrete and a bridge to nowhere. Those whose free popularity is shown by buying boli, corn and eating on the streets, and paying ten times the normal cost.

This is a time of liberation. Let my people go. Here comes the Ekiti Exodus, the movements of JAH People.

Indeed and in truth, it’s time to move on, to take over, and turn around. It’s time to say: Good radiance to bad rubbish.

EKITI KO’YA
OTO O GEE

Dr Bayo Arowolaju Snr.