Victor Ogunje
A Former Governor of Ekiti State and Candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) for the June 18 governorship poll, Mr. Segun Oni, has boasted that those who thought that President Muhammadu Buhari would rig the impending election for him would be disappointed.
Oni said that Buhari is a man of integrity and that he would resist attempt by some people to enlist him into any alleged invidious act to rig the June 18 election in favour of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Governorship Candidate, Mr. Biodun Oyebamiji.
In the same fashion, a pro-Oni group under the name Ekiti Build Back Better (EBBB), has said that the people of Ekiti would not elect an “absentee governor” as being currently witnessed under the administration of Governor Kayode Fayemi.
In a statement made available to journalists in Ado Ekiti, yesterday, the Director of Media and Publicity, Segun Oni Campaign Organisation, Mr. Jackson Adebayo, said that those allegedly piling pressure on the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Baba Alkali, about Ekiti’s election would meet their waterloo, saying security institutions belong to all Nigerians and that they could not be manipulated for any contestant.
Oni said: “Governor Fayemi had boasted at the meeting he held with some key members of the Biodun Oyebanji Campaign Organisation at Lady Jibowu Hall in the Government House, Ado Ekiti, that he has the IGP, the Chief of Army Staff and the Director-General of DSS in his pocket as the chairman of the Governors’ Forum.
“We are aware of their moves to truncate the Ekiti election in case they did not get the expected response from the Presidency. We, however, warn him to shelve the idea because Ekiti people will not take it lightly with him and his co-travellers.
“We wish to remind them, in case they have forgotten the 1983 political mayhem in the old Ondo State, the scars were yet to heal till date. The APC-led government should not attempt to reignite this.”
The EBBB Spokesman, Mr. Idowu Adelusi, also told journalists yesterday in Ado-Ekiti that the inability of Governor Fayemi to concentrate his energy at home and develop Ekiti State has affected his performance negatively.
Adelusi said: “Fayemi, during a popular television programme, had said that ‘I do spend more time in Abuja than Ekiti. I know some people feel it. Certainly, I spend more time in Abuja. But you know that shouldn’t bother anyone beyond perception level, bother. It is whether it is telling on my performance as a governor that should be worrying.’”
He, therefore, asked if Fayemi did tell Ekiti people when he was canvassing for their votes for the second term that he would stay mostly outside the state to govern them by proxy.
“Surely, his absentee governance has robbed Ekiti State essential duties and responsibilities of good governance.
“Apart from the huge money which the governor had expended so far on chartered flights and maintaining himself, aides, security and unforeseen contingencies which has been a big drainpipes on the state’s meager resources, not many Ekiti people outside the state capital have seen the governor physically since he was sworn in on October 16, 2018.
“In a democracy, governance requires the president or governor to be around his people physically; he should be accessible, touched, talked to and has to be seen during an emergency period within shortest possible time,” Adelusi said.
