I remain committed PDP member —Oni •Denies reconcilling with Fayose

Former governor of Ekiti State, Chief Segun Oni, has said he remained a committed member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
This came as he dismissed media reports that he held a reconciliation meeting with  the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the June 21 governorship election in the state, Mr Ayo Fayose, last weekend, in Ado-Ekiti,saying that no such meeting took place as alleged.
Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune, during an interview in Abuja,Chief Oni, disclosed that what actually happened was that on the day in question, he was in Ado-Ekiti for the wedding ceremony of one of the children of Chief Dipo Anisulowo, who is the Director-General of Ayo Fayose Campaign Organisation and that Fayose and Senator Iyiola Omisore, who is also the governorship candidate of the party in Osun State, were also in attendance.
The former governor pointed out that throughout the period he was at the ceremony, no issue of reconciliation as well as anything on politics or the coming election was discussed at all and wondered where the media got their facts from.
He disclosed that both Fayose and Omisore, were alive to bear witness to his position if he was lying about what actually  transpired at the occasion  in Ado-Ekiti, on the day in question.
It was reported on Sunday that Senator Omisore had succeeded in reconciling both
Fayose and Oni, ahead of the governorship election and that it was Vice President Namadi Sambo, that facilitated the peace meeting that took place in Ado-Ekiti, at the residence of Chief Anisulowo, a political associate of Chief Oni.
However, Chief Oni, while restating that he remained a committed memnber  of the party urged his supporters to ignore the false and misleading publication.
Ekiti elders denied knowledge of N5,000 monthly stipend —Bamidele
By Sam Nwaoko - Ado-Ekiti
The governorship candidate of Labour Party in the June 21 election in the state, Mr Opeyemi Bamidele, has alleged that the senior citizens in Ekiti community, who are mostly above 60 years of age, have denied knowledge of the old people monthly package of N5,000 also known as “Owo Arugbo,” being paid them by the state government.”
Bamidele said “the elderly people revealed this at Iwaji-Ekiti, a settlement under Efon Local Government Area of Ekiti State, on Saturday”, during his campaign rally in the community.
According to a statement by the state chapter of Labour Party, on Sunday, the elderly citizens “were reacting to a promise made by Labour Party governorship candidate, Bamidele, that he would not stop the package but extend it across political borders.”
The statement said “the aged, who came out in numbers to receive Bamidele, later expressed dismay at his mention of such a scheme supposedly in practice in the last three and a half years.”
According to him, “several of them said they were hearing about the scheme for the first time,” noting that “this is coming despite the nearness of the community to a local government council headquarter in Efon Alaaye.”
He was quoted to have charged the people “to demand explanations as to why they were isolated from the so-called “Owo Arugbo” scheme.
Bamidele was also said to have promised to create more jobs and condemned “how Fayemi government couldn’t  employ Ekiti youths since assumption of office.”
He also urged them to ask for refund of their application fee of N1,000, after three unsuccessful aptitude tests.
The monarch of the community, Peter Adewale Ojo, lamented lack of basic amenities in their midst, urging Bamidele to come to their aid if he is elected.
The monarch, however, commended Mr Odunayo Ategbero, a former local government chairman in Efon Alaaye Local Government Area and a former commissioner under Segun Oni-led government, for keeping in touch with the community despite its several challenges.
Ategbero currently leads Bamidele’s campaign team in Efon Alaaye and its environs like Itawure, Itaido and Alajo Ekiti.
Fayemi government since 2010, claimed to have allocated several millions of naira for the scheme.
APC attempting to bribe INEC personnel —PDP group •Provide evidence, APC tells group
By Sam Nwaoko - Ado-Ekiti
The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in June governorship election in Ekiti State, through the Ayo Fayose Campaign Organisation (AFCO), on Monday, accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of trying to manipulate operatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to its gain in the June 21 governorship election in the state.
AFCO, in a news conference addressed by the Director General of the campaign, Chief Dipo Anisulowo, in Ado Ekiti alleged that they had “incontrovertible evidence of the various moves by the APC to manipulate the voter’s register.”
Anisulowo, who was represented on the occasion by his deputy, Mr Owoseni Ajayi, claimed that their campaign was also “aware of the frustration and stiff resistance they met while trying to buy the leadership of INEC in the state.”
The campaign claimed that the PDP had been at the receiving end of violent attacks from APC thugs in the course of the current campaigns and called on the police to rise to the challenge of bringing the perpetrators of the attacks to book.
Anisulowo said: “Early last week in Egbe-Ekiti in Gbonyin Local Government Area of the state, a chieftain of the APC, Chief Ibidapo Awojolu and his retinue of party thugs attacked the PDP during a tour of the local government. Rather than accept responsibility for the dastardly act, the drowning government of the APC, shamelessly and without remorse, rushed to the press to accuse the PDP candidate, Ayodele Fayose, of masterminding the attack.
“It is unfortunate and very disheartening that the ruling government has elevated violence to a state art and descended so low to accuse the opposition of masterminding violence every time when they are always the aggressor.”
AAFCO challenged the APC “to publish the names of any PDP member that are currently facing trial on account of violence in the state.”
But the Kayode Fayemi Campaign Organisation, in its reaction, denied the allegations and challenged the PDP to provide the evidence.
Speaking through the director of publicity of the campaign, Mr Dimeji Daniels, the Kayode Fayemi Campaign said, “we are tired of all this scare-mongering by the PDP candidate. Let him be a man of honour for once. We challenge him to come out with the so-called incontrovertible evidence that he has.”
On the spate of violence, Daniels said “Governor Kayode Fayemi’s convoy must have passed the route where Fayose’s campaign office is located  over  a hundred times  over the past three and a half years and his convoy was never attacked for once until Ayo Fayose became the candidate of the PDP.
“The  governor’s convoy had not been attacked anywhere  in the entire state since 2010,  until  the emergence of Ayodele Fayose as candidate of the PDP and indeed both times directly in front of Fayose’s campaign office.  Is it coincidence that APC campaign bus  and vehicles were vandalised on the day Fayose came to town via Ikere-Ekiti?”
Demoted school principals vow to vote against Fayemi
Some former school principals in Ekiti State, who alleged to have been demoted unjustly by theDr Kayode Fayemi-led administration, have vowed not to allow Governor  Fayemi, return to the Government House, Ado Ekiti.
Mr Tope Fatuase, who stated this on behalf of the aggrieved former principals, at Ikoro Ekiti in Ijero Local Government Area of Ekiti State, on Sunday, during a campaign tour of wards in the council by the Ekiti State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Mr  Ayodele Fayose.
According to a press statement issued by Fayose’s spokesman, Mr Idowu Adelusi and made available to the press in Ado Ekiti, on Sunday, Mr Fatuase alleged Fayemi had used political exam to demote many of his colleaques, explaining that hardly had they left the exam halls,  the state television announced their demotion from principal to head of department.
He said that many of his colleaques, consequently, developed permanent health challenges.
Fatuase said the teachers in Ekiti State have seen the June 21 governorship election as a day to free themselves from Fayemi’s bondange and hostile attitude to teachers.
Pledging support of the teachers and school principals in Ekiti State for Fayose, Fatuase said that the teachers have absolute confidence in Fayose because his former administration  raised the status of  teachers in the state.
He said that any government that engages in humiliating teachers will have failure awaiting its education policy.
Responding, Fayose promised to look into all cases  of victimisation, adding that teachers and other workers who are not culpable will laugh last. “I am the teachers’ governor, I am the governor, who dine with the downtroddens.”