By Oludamisi Ojo
An appreciable number of the Ekiti State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, have declared support for former governor Segun Oni and candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) for the June 18 poll.
The pensioners had last month threatened to stage a protest from Ado-Ekiti to Oni’s house in Ifaki Ekiti, if the former governor should refuse to contest on another political party’s ticket aside from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Saturday, June 18, election.
The pensioners, led by Pa Suyi Ajayi and Chief Ayodele Omoyajowo, disclosed this during a visit to a pro-oni group, Ekiti Build Back Better on Thursday, in Ado Ekiti.
According to them, the Peoples Democratic Party would regret its refusal to consider Oni, who they had hoped would pay all their backlog of unpaid pensions if emerged victorious.
According to the press release issued by the spokesman of the group, Idowu Adelusi, in Ado-Ekiti, on Thursday, the pensioners said that when Oni was the governor of the state between 2007 and 2010, he was able to pay all their entitlements dated to the old Ondo State.
The pensioners according to the statement noted that throughout Oni’s tenure, pensioners’ monthly allowances were paid regularly.
“We did not suffer; but the succeeding administrations have impoverished the pensioners, because they didn’t care if we were killed by hunger,” They emphasized
Adelusi disclosed that the pensioners said they had planned to trek to Ifaki on Monday, February 7 to protest against Oni, but the former governor, who got wind of the plan, came out to dump the PDP on Saturday, February 5 and as well announced to Ekiti people that he would contest on a new party ticket to be announced soon.
Adelusi said “the pensioners said they sent a message to Oni that they would trek from Ado-Ekiti to his house in Ifaki-Ekiti and that if any of them should drop dead on the way, the former governor should prepare to bear the cost of the burial.
Chief Ayodele Omoyajowo said, “it is true that we had planned to trek to Ifaki to ask Segun Oni to contest on another party’s platform since the PDP rigged him out.
