Governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Ekiti State, Dr Wole Oluyede, has condemned the recent attack on the convoy of Chief Segun Oni of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), saying it is: “gross act of intolerance that is inimical to progress given the lingering socio-political and economic lapses that Ekiti people presently grapple with”.
Oluyede who spoke through the Wole Oluyede Campaign Organisation’s Director of Media, Mr. Gboyega Adeoye, bemoaned the rising insecurity in Ekiti in recent times and cautioned that any act of intolerance by political parties at this time, would only escalate tension and plunge the state into undeserved crisis.
He therefore sued for peace, noting that: “whoever is genuinely seeking to govern for the betterment of the lot of the people would not contemplate stepping on their blood to power.”
Suspected political thugs on Wednesday evening had attacked the convoy of the Social Democratic Party governorship candidate, Segun Oni, at Efon Alaaye in the Efon Council area of the state.
Oni’s Campaign Director of Media and Publicity, Jackson Adebayo, said members and supporters of the party were attacked with guns, cutlasses, and other dangerous weapons on arrival at Efon Alaaye, for meetings with SDP members in the council area.
Reacting, Wole Oluyede Campaign Organization, in its statement writes: “We heard, with deep concern, the horrible attack on the campaign train of Chief Segun Oni of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), to which we here strongly condemn. Though details of how the clash came about is scanty and may be hard to get, it is however certain that two wrongs can never make a right.
“As a party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), is not unaware of the high level of poverty and the attendant crimes and general insecurity that envelop our dear state, as we speak. The situation is terrible; only those that are affected are whispering their ordeal. We are at the moment in our Egypt, waiting anxiously for the Moses that will rescue us and take us to the Promised Land.
“We think this is a moment of sober reflection, not a time for brigandage and unguarded political shenanigans. This is a time to roll up our sleeves in a collective effort to deliver Ekiti State, not the time to soak ourselves in frenzy; time to turn in a new leaf and not time for patching and recycling. Ekiti certainly needs a break from the past to usher into a fresh beginning.
“The positive engagement of Ekiti people and friends of the State in the forthcoming election would be critical to restoring normalcy back to our beautiful land.
“There is no doubt that our state, has gone through difficult times in the past years, resulting in the destruction of the lifelong brand of our state, as home of men and women with respect, integrity and political maturity.
“It is therefore time for the good men and women of Ekiti State to be counted as the ADC seeks to take our state back from the state of abject poverty and poor governance. We are aware that whatever happens in Ekiti state, despite the small size of our economy, matters in the larger Nigerian political context.
“Today, in Ekiti, we find the critical factors that either make or mar Nigeria – the battle between the forces of good and evil; between intellectualism and mental laziness; between service and racketeering.
“As Dr Wole Oluyede take this course, we hope we can count on you. With your support we can begin to restore sanity to our political system, starting with one of Nigeria’s unique states: compact, ethnically monolithic and fabled fountain of knowledge.
“I trust you will join on this journey and help restore our good sense into politics.”
