By Ayodele Abere.
In just one week to the State House of Assembly election, the candidate contesting for the seat in Ekiti South West Constituency 1, Ilawe-Ekiti in Ekiti South West Local Government Area of Ekiti State, under the platform of the Social Democratic Party, (SDP) Mr. Segun Abioye, has stepped down for his major opponent in the race, a candidate of the All Progressives Congress, (APC), Mr. Tony Adaramodu.
While speaking with journalists on his decision, Mr. Abioye, an APC member before joining the SDP explained that he joined SDP based on his personal relationship with former Ekiti State governor,Chief Segun Oni who gave him the ticket to represent the people of Ekiti South West Constituency 1, Ilawe-Ekiti.
In his word, “having met with my leaders that we were all together in SDP, I realised that they have all moved to the APC. With my engagement in an extensive deliberations with them, I had no choice than to move along with them despite the fact that I know we would win the election with all the strategies we have in place.
Noting that election is never a do or die affair, Abioye who stepped down for Adaramodu for the sake of peace and brotherly love, therefore urged all his numerous supporters and the entire people of Ekiti South West Constituency 1, Ilawe-Ekiti, to join the moving train of the APC in Saturday’s State House of Assembly election and vote massively for the candidate of APC, Mr. Tony Adaramodu.
Speaking on the development, the former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ife Arowosoge said it’s a continuation of the work they have started weeks back.
According to him, “we were originally in SDP. We have decamped to APC and we participated in both Presidential and National Assembly Elections which were very successful.
“As we are preparing for the next election which is the House of Assembly election as far as Ekiti is concerned, SDP has a candidate just like APC has its own candidate. We have brought the two candidates together for one to step down for the other.
“We have persuaded the SDP candidate whose name is Mr. Segun Abioye and in deed very popular in Ilawe-Ekiti to step down for the candidate of the ruling party, APC, Mr. Tony Adaramodu.”With this development, we can say we don’t have any major opposition now”.
In his own reaction, the representative of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Matters, Chief Jide Awe, former Chairman of Ekiti South West Local Government, Hon. Genge Kolawole, described the event as a political amalgamation. Adding that “It’s an amalgamation of the candidacy of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in person of Mr. Segun Abioye and that of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Tony Adaramodu.
Hon Genge opined that since the leaderships of the two major parties contesting for the seat in the town, that is, APC and SDP, have agreed and resolved to come together as one indivisible entity, it’s electoral victory saying that the election is won already before the election is even consumated.
The gathering had in attendance the leaders and members of the two political parties with the supporters of the two candidates.
