.Warns against vote buying
Chief Segun Oni, governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party in Ekiti State, has declared as untrue the rumour that he struck a deal with Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, to step down for Biodun Oyebanji of the ruling party in the Saturday, June 18 governorship election in the state.
While explaining that himself and Tinubu were intimate friends, he stated however that he could not compromise his governorship aspiration for the presidential candidate of the APC.
Oni rose to the position of the National Deputy Chairman of the APC (South), in 2015, with the support of the National Leader of the party.
However, while addressing journalists in Ado Ekiti, on Wednesday, he debunked the rumour that he had a deal with Tinubu.
The SDP governorship candidate 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.”
According to him, his decision to run for governorship was in response to the persuasion by the Ekiti people and he would not betray their confidence.
He frowned against attempts by politicians to buy the conscience of the people in the coming election, saying that vote buying was a criminal offence in the face of law.
Reacting to comments ascribed to the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, and the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, on vote buying in Ekiti State, he urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and Independent Corrupt and Other Related Offences Commission to be alive to their responsibility by curbing the menace.
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.”
Assuring members of the public that the SDP would not engage in vote buying, he said that “This doesn’t mean some people will not be paid for rendering services to us, but for vote buying, SDP is bluntly opposed to this.”
