Ahead of the June 18, 2022 governorship election, a former governor of the state, Chief Segun Oni on Saturday dumped the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Oni had last week lost the primaries of the PDP to Bisi Kolawole, the preferred candidate of a former governor, Ayodele Fayose, and afterwards described the exercise as a fraud, and alleged the National Working Committee (NWC) of compromise.
As part of the new decision, the former governor met with his supporters and admirers in his country home of Ifaki-Ekiti, Ido-Osi local government area of the state on Saturday.
While he is yet to officially reveal his next move, Rulers World gathered that the former governor and his team had concluded plans with the national leadership of the All Progressives Grand Alliance(APGA) to fly the party’s flag during the election as a third force.
According to reliable sources, the APGA leadership under Chief Victor Oye would take advantage of the window provided by the Independent National Electoral Commission to substitute the current candidate with Oni before the February 25 deadline.
When contacted, the spokesman of Segun Oni Movement, Jackson Adebayo stated that the decision of Oni and thousands of supporters to leave PDP was taken at Saturday’s stakeholders’ meeting in Ifaki-Ekiti
He stated that Oni yielded to pressures from the overwhelming majority of Ekiti people who are desirous of returning him back to the government house regardless of the political platform.
The former PDP State Publicity Secretary hinted that the former governor would be leaving the PDP with a sizeable number of members, adding his resignation from the party is with immediate effect.
Adebayo said, “Chief Segun Oni has finally resigned from PDP. All the people of Ekiti have decided that they want Segun Oni on any platform. And he had hearkened 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 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 Oni. “
Also speaking, former director of media of the Segun Oni Campaign Organization, Lanre Ogunsuyi said the former governor’s exit was informed by high degree of injustice melted to Oni by those he described as, ” some powerful forces in the party during the January 26, primary election.”
