The Governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) for the Saturday’s election in Ekiti State, Chief Segun Oni, has emphasized that anti graft agencies should be on ground to arrest those that attempt to bribe electorate.
Oni who spoke to Journalists on Wednesday in Ado Ekiti also denied that he entered into a deal with former Lagos State Governor and presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to step down ahead of the Saturday’s poll.
According to him, he and Tinubu were once intimate political bed-fellows, but clarified that the APC National leader’s emergence as a Presidential candidate won’t sway him to abandon his governorship aspiration or compromise it.
The former Governor’s picture with Tinubu dominated social media on Wednesday prompting insinuation that he struck a deal to step down for the candidate of APC Biodun Abayomi.
“Let me say that this is a lie, I have not seen Asiwaju Bola Tinubu for over a year now. I am here for the 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 assured that he won’t betray the confidence reposed in him by being steadfast and honest in the prosecution of the election adding that his entry into the Governorship contest was prompted by clarion call by the people of the state.
On vote buying, the SDP candidate condemned politicians planning to buy the conscience of the people in the election, describing vote-buying as an unpardonable criminal offence in the face of the law.
He also appreciated the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) for its 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.
“EFCC and ICPC operatives must clamp down on those who want to be in power at all cost, but as good as this is, our people must resist an 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 position of the ballot box must be such that you drop your ballots before the prying eyes of the buyers saw where you voted.”
“This doesn’t mean some people will not be paid for rendering services for us, but for vote-buying, SDP is bluntly opposed to this.”
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