Politics
Former Ekiti Governor, Segun Oni Speaks Of Retiring From Politics
Former Ekiti State Governor, Chief Segun Oni has revealed plans to retire from politics, Naija News learnt.
According to him, he started politics by supporting people, who eventually started supporting him and he would end it up by going back to support people again.
Oni said he does not see himself contesting for another elective position, noting that ” I believe it should be the natural course of events that as I am inching towards retirement.”
The former Ekiti governor told The Punch that, “I have a great deal of respect for him and his office and I have told my people. My people will have to continue playing politics if they choose to. I am bound to support them because they supported me before. I am going to continue in politics by now supporting people.
“I started politics by supporting people, and from there, people supported me. I believe it should be the natural course of events that as I am inching towards retirement, I should be supporting people, but my people will determine where our support will be going. Our system needs to be refined, else, it may lead us to a bad end.
“Right now, I cannot see any elective position that is attractive to me to contest again. I had contested for governorship and won and I was allowed to do it until I was removed. It was terminated, not according to how it should have been, but I left. Also, I had contested an election and I won but I was prevented – so what remains? Where is the third option? You won, you were there, you were removed. Then again, you won, but prevented. I don’t deceive myself.”
Speaking further, Oni who was the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the 2022 gubernatorial election, explained that he doesn’t hold anything against the state governor, Biodun Oyebanji.
He said, “Life continues. I have told a lot of people, I don’t have anything against the governor, Biodun Oyebanji. He is my brother. I will even say that if the attitude of people close to him had been as close to his, maybe we would have an Ekiti without acrimony.
“He promised to visit and he has fulfilled that promise. However, I said earlier that the decision won’t be mine, it will be my people’s because they are the people I want to support. I owe them my support, especially young people, who have their careers.
“That is why I am trying to call a meeting here to say let representatives from all over the state come, let us ask how we should proceed. I believe that along party lines, there are clearly three options – SDP, APC and PDP in whatever order. I will listen to them, when my people have made a decision, I will explain it to as many people as possible. But I don’t want to prejudge whatever would happen.
“I am at home as far as whatever outcome is concerned because I will be part of it, but it will come from my people. I don’t want to be the one to say let us go to the West or East. I want them to think about it. I have made it very clear and I say this categorically,
“I am not contesting any election into any executive or legislative position again. I think I have tried; I want to support those who will contest elections. Wherever the larger majority of those I want to support want, that is where I will support them.”
It would be recalled that Oni had challenged the outcome of the 2022 Ekiti governorship election that produced governor Oyebani.
