The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate for the June 18 election in Ekiti State Biodun Oyebanji has observed that his counterpart from Social Democratic Party (SDP) Segun Oni is not prepared to face him in the election.
According to the APC candidate, from the allegations Oni is making, it is obvious he is not ready for a real contest, adding that his counterpart is just seeking cheap publicity.
Oyebanji said this in Ado Ekiti, on Friday, while reacting to an allegation raised by the SDP that its deputy governorship candidate, Ladi Owolabi, was allegedly attacked by suspected APC thugs on Wednesday.
Dismissing the claim, he said: “I want to say with all sincerity and open heart that the APC was not aware of any attack on the SDP deputy governorship candidate.
“And if truly it happened, I want to dissociate our members from it, because we are busy campaigning all over Ekiti. We are the ruling party and we have a lot of good projects we have done to campaign to Ekiti people, so we have no reason to attack anyone.
“With the ways they have been threatening the people and raising false allegations, I don’t think Segun Oni is prepared for a real contest.
“All he wanted is getting the governorship through blackmail and on a platter of gold, which we believed was undemocratic. If he finds himself unprepared for the contest, he can withdraw honourably from the race.
The APC aspirant, who while challenging Oni through his spokesman Taiwo Olatunbosun to make his manifesto known said: “Oyebanji had unveiled his manifesto, which is his social contract with the Ekiti people and it covered human capital development, infrastructure, healthcare delivery, commercial agriculture, and good governance, among others.
“So, we are running a race that is well defined. Let other party candidates, including Oni learn from us, unveil his manifesto if they have any and let the people know what they have in stock for them, rather than stoking violence, attacks and unrest”.
The candidates that are going to do battle on June 18 are Biodun Oyebanji (APC), Reuben Famuyibo, Accord; Wole Oluyede (African Democratic Congress (ADC); Debo Ajayi, Young Progressives Party (YPP); Kemi Elebute-Halle, Action Democratic Party (ADP); Moses Olajide, African Action Congress (AAC), Olufemi Obidoyin, All Progressives Congress (APGA) and Peter Adegbenro, Allied Peoples Movement (APM).
Others are Segun Oni, Social Democratic Party (SDP); Bisi Kolawole, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); Modupe Olatawura, All People’s Party (APP); Daramola Roland, Labour Party (LP); Oladosu Fatomilola, New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP); Tope Iyaniwura, National Rescue Movement (NRM); Olaniyi Agboola, People’s Redemption Party (PRP) and Kolade Akinyemi, Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
