By Abraham Olatunbosun
As Ekiti people go to the poll on Saturday to elect a new governor, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) governorship candidate and former governor of the state, Asiwaju Segun Oni, has appealed to the people of the state to come out en masse on Saturday to elect him as their governor.
According to a press statement issued by the spokesman of Ekiti Build Back Better (EBBB), a pro-Segun Oni group, Idowu Adelusi, and made available to journalists in Ado-Ekiti on Wednesday, the SDP governorship candidate made the appeal when six political parties, led by their leaders, came to declare support for his candidature at the Segun Oni Campaign Office, Ado-Ekiti on Wednesday.
The parties and their leaders are: Action Alliance (AA), Mr Lanre Anifowoshe; African Action Congress (AAC), Mr Adekolu; Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Prince Adeuyi; All Peoples Grand Alliance (APGA), Mr Rufus Afolabi; Youth Democratic Party of Nigeria (YDPN), also known as End SARS, Mr Segun Balogun and Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Mr Adebayo Ademola Emmanuel.
Their governorship candidates also stepped down for the SDP candidate.
Oni seized the occasion to allay the fear of the electorate, saying the Federal Government had assured of adequate security for the voters by deploying security personnel to the state to guarantee free environment for people to go out and cast their votes without fear of harassment and intimidation by political thugs.
Oni stated further that: “I want Ekiti people to come out en masse on Saturday, June 18, to vote for me and elect me as their governor.
“There will be adequate security for you; the security personnel will not allow intimidation and harassment of the people to freely exercise their voting rights.
“The desire to remove the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government and free Ekiti from abject poverty, backwardness and free government workers from perpetual slavery is a joint project of all us.
“We all have roles to play; don’t stay back; be counted to be among the group of ‘Ekiti Koya, OO To Ge.’
“You need to use your vote, which is your power, to determine your future. Don’t sell your vote. If you sell your vote to the APC, you have called for another four years of suffering and slavery.
“If you have not collected your permanent voter’s card, go to the INEC office without delay.”
Leaders of the six political parties, while pledging their support for Oni, said, “we are here to pledge our support for Segun Oni and we are using this forum to tell members and supporters of the six political parties to thumbprint the symbol of SDP which is a white horse in the Saturday, June 18, election.”
They said their decision was in the best interest of the Ekiti people and urged their members to embark on a house-to-house campaign for Segun Oni.
While welcoming the leaders of the parties, Oni thanked them and their governorship candidates.
He told them that rescuing Ekiti from “the jaws of the oppressors of Ekiti” was a joint project of all Ekiti people and assured the leaders that they would be counted among the group of ‘Ekiti Koya, Oo To Ge.’
