Ekiti 2022: Why I want to return as governor– Oni

Ekiti 2022: Why I want to return as governor– Oni

Former Governor of Ekiti State, Segun Oni, who is also a governorship aspirant in the 2022 guber election in the state, has said in spite of the crisis currently rocking his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), it can still dislodge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) from the government house. He spoke with Gboyega Alaka about his aspiration and sundry other political issues.

What are your chances in the guber election this year in Ekiti State?

I don’t like talking about myself. My chances are with the people because the inspiration for me to come out to contest is based on what people have been saying and what they said they would do. Based on that, I leave my chances in the hands of the people.

What is your relationship with the former governor, Ayo Fayose and Senator Abiodun Olujimi?

Well, I think my relationship with both of them is okay. I don’t have any personal issue against either of them. However, it is normal that in a situation like this, every individual is entitled to his or her preferences. So, if either of them has any other preference other than Segun Oni, then I will have to take it against him or her. But, our relationship, I will say, is normal.

The PDP needs unity among its members to win the election; do you see that unity in the party?

When you go to a battle like this, you don’t talk about unity because this is politics; it is about preferences, individual choices and so on. People will do what they want to do if it is so important for them to do it. But, what is most important, if I am to advise any political party or group, is your choice of who becomes your flag bearer. Once you have a flag bearer that commands respect and a majority following, you have done it. If you are looking for a situation where you will get absolute unity and zero dissension, it will never happen. Even where there are no issues, some people will go behind to take inducement from the opponents, except there is no other political party opposing you on the field.

You’ve been governor before. What are you going to do differently if the people give you their mandate this time around?

I want to say that if my past regime was described by people as filled with errors, then we should be looking forward to doing things differently. From the feedback I am getting from people, they didn’t consider us as error-filled, though we were not perfect. So, just as we will be thinking of what to change, we will also be thinking of what to continue. So, it is a combination of that; not just about what we are going to do differently. What are we going to do exactly the same way? What are we going to improve upon and what are we going to do differently? Yes, there are things to do in each of those categories but we are here and when the time comes, they will see us.