From Priscilla Ediare, Ado-Ekiti
Pensioners in Ekiti State, last February, backed down on their plan to stage a protest from Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, to the house of former governor of the state and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) governorship candidate in the June 18 election in the state, Asiwaju Segun Oni, at Ifaki-Ekiti, if the former governor should refuse to contest on another political party’s platform aside the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the forthcoming election.
Some of the pensioners, led by Pa Suyi Ajayi and Chief Ayodele Omoyajowo, who disclosed this to the Ekiti Build Back Better (EBBB), an international pan- Ekiti movement campaigning for the election of Asiwaju Segun Oni, said the refusal of the PDP leadership to consider Oni, who they had hoped as governor would pay all their backlog of unpaid pensions, for the party’s ticket, did not go down well with them.
According to the press release issued by the spokesman of the group, Idowu Adelusi, in Ado-Ekiti, on Wednesday, the pensioners said that when Oni was the governor of the state (2007 to 2010), he was able to pay all their entitlements which dated to the old Ondo State, adding that throughout his tenure, pensioners monthly allowance payments were regular.
“We did not suffer; but the succeeding administrations have impoverished the pensioners, because they didn’t care if we were killed by hunger,” they said.
Adelusi said the pensioners had planned to trek to Ifaki on Monday, February 7, 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 had allegedly 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 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.
“We, pensioners, are not happy at all, because it is Segun Oni we want to win the ticket. We don’t mind our ages; we don’t mind if we die on the road. At least, Segun Oni will hear that some pensioners died on the road because of interest they have in him.”