Tinubu’s Presidency won’t make me compromise my Guber ambition, says Oni

The Governorship Candidate of the Social Democratic Party for the June 18 election in Ekiti State, Mr. Segun Oni, has clarified that there is no signed deal between him and former Lagos State Governor, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu that would make him to backtrack on his political aspiration.

Oni acknowledged the fact that he and Tinubu were once intimate political bed-fellows, but clarified that the emergence of Tinubu as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) would not sway him to abandon his governorship aspiration or compromise it.

Oni spoke in respect of rumour doing the rounds that Tinubu had struck a deal with him to pave way for the victory of APC candidate, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, in the impending poll.

It should be recalled that Oni was the APC’s national deputy chairman (South) in 2015 before he returned to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in 2019.

He said: “Let me say that this is a lie, I have not seen Asiwaju Bola Tinubu for over a year now. I am here for Ekiti people and I will not compromise the interest of Ekiti people for anything.

“I am not also desperate. I am a contented person and I am not a person that can be bought with money. I can’t be purchased. So, I did not meet anybody anywhere to compromise my candidacy.”

Oni said he hearkened to the persuasion from the generality of Ekiti people to veer into the race and that he won’t betray the confidence reposed in him by being steadfast and honest in the prosecution of the election.

He was enthralled with the hint dropped on Tuesday by the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Usman Alkali Baba, and the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, that vote buying would be difficult to perpetrate in Ekiti.

He also appreciated the commission for his resolve to work with the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), to tackle the perpetrators of the criminal tendency.

He said: “EFCC and ICPC operatives must clampdown on those who want to be in power at all cost, but as good as this is, our people must resist unlawful arrest. Nobody should be arrested unlawfully while others are being protected. The clampdown must be total.

“If anyone commits an offence, let him be arrested lawfully through a warrant of arrest. We have seen a situation whereby minority was lorded over the majority, but it won’t happen again in Ekiti.

“Vote buying is a criminal offence and that the position of the ballot box must be such that you drop your ballots before the prying eyes of the buyers saw where you voted.”