Former Governor of Ekiti State, Engr. Segun Oni says he has decided alongside his supporters to leave the All Progressives Congress(APC) following shabby treatment meted to him and his supporters.
Oni said he had commenced the process of reconciliation with critical stakeholders in the Ekiti People’s Democratic Party(PDP), like ex-governor Ayodele Fayose and Senator Biodun Olujimi about his resolve to return to his former party.
He said he took the decision to return to the PDP as a way of acceding to the request of his people, who were desirous of taking the political step.
Rumours filtered into town on Sunday that Oni, who defected to APC in June, 2014 and held the position of Deputy National Chairman, was planning to return to the PDP, where he started as a foundation member.
Oni, who spoke with journalists via telephone conversation in Ado Ekiti, on Monday, expressed displeasure about how himself and his supporters were being ostracised from all engagements in APC, including appointments and privilege to contest elections.
While justifying the position taken by him to return to the PDP, the former governor said: “You all knew the kind of treatment I have been getting. As we speak, none of my supporters has been allowed to get an appointment or contest elections in APC.
“If the APC gives me the whole world, I won’t be happy seeing an integral part of my political life, I mean my supporters treated badly.
“At a particular time, I was suspended in my ward at Ifaki Ekiti and nothing was said about it. I am the Asiwaju of this town, if someone could have the effrontery to do that to me here, you could see it had sent a signal that there was a problem.
“It is not about Segun Oni, my people and supporters are the main issue”, he stated.
Meanwhile, Oni didn’t give the actual time he will formally join the PDP.
“We have taken a decision and we are at the process of joining the PDP. We are going to set up implementation committee to work on our programme of actions. Our joining PDP is not something that won’t take three months.
” I am not that kind of a politician that will rush at things, we can’t just go back that way. There must be proper planning. We are carrying out local government by local government counting of those that will follow us.
“Those who took the action were my supporters across all the local governments and 177 wards, who felt bad about the whole scenario in APC.
“But the major thing is that, we are moving, we have taken a decision to go back and on that we are working on”, he said.
When asked whether he has informed former governor Ayodele Fayose, who was a known political rival to him, Oni said he is ready to work with other major stakeholders in the PDP, in his quest to return to the party.
“We are reaching out to everybody, because we are all relevant stakeholders in this game and I know and am sure that they will be happy to receive us”.
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