WITHOUT ACN THUGGERY, PDP WILL WIN ALL ELECTIONS IN EKITI - ONI

Former Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Segun Oni, is confident that by the time the Nigeria Judicial Council (NJC) concludes probe into the judgment of the Court of Appeal, which kicked him out of office, the truth would be established that he did not get justice.

Revealing that the abrupt end of his tenure would not stop him from taking another shot at the governorship election in future? Oni said he was eager for the truth surrounding the Court of Appeal judgment to be established.

Oni is confident that his party will score over 70 per cent in the general elections. Also, he is optimistic that President Goodluck Jonathan, would win the presidential election in the first ballot and there would be no need for a run-off election.

Oni spoke on other national issues.
Nigerians were surprised when you went back to the Court of Appeal on the judgment that got you out of office as governor of Ekiti State. What informed your decision to go back to court?

I think I need to explain properly. The case that we have on our hands now is not an electoral petition issue. It is a constitutional issue. It is a constitutional right to fair hearing that is at stake here. What we are saying is very simple - that a judge is a human being. He can have friends; he can have relations, and he can have classmates and other contacts. But when any of those people come for any matter before a judge, the judge should excuse himself, so that there will be no bias or likelihood of bias. That is what we are saying. It is not an election petition per se. It is right to fair hearing. So, some people don't understand it. It is a case of the right to fair hearing. It is founder mental.

Nigerians will want to know the evidence you have that made you go back to court.

Well, anybody in this country knows that (Bola) Tinubu is the Alter ego of the ACN. Tinubu and Justice Salami (of the Appeal court) are friends. We stumble on a document, an affidavit that was sworn to by distinguished Senator Dahiru, who is chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary. He said that when Salami was to be cleared at the Senate; Tinubu was calling him every day in Mecca, urging him to come back home to join in clearing him. If they are not friends, he will not do that.

Apart from that, during the case of Sokoto, Tinubu and Justice Salami met in his home. Ordinary mortals, like us, cannot send for a judge if the relationship is not there. There must be a very strong tie of friendship. If we heard that before, we would have compelled the judge to disqualify himself. By not doing so, I don't think he did the right thing.

What do you think was wrong with the judgment?
What was wrong with the judgment? Well, I did not get justice. That is what I believe went wrong. But we are before Nigeria Judicial Commission (NJC) now. We are before the Court of Appeal. I don't want to say exactly too much now. But, I did not get justice.

But Kayode Fayemi is the governor now?
It is very, very clear that he is a judiciary governor. Election petitions should also reflect the reality on ground. The people who claimed that election was rigged, I kept saying: let us go to an open probe. Let people talk about the election result in Ekiti for 2007 and 2009. Let us analyse it. Let us find out. In many places, there were no results at all? In Efon, there was no result in 10 wards. In Oke Imesi, no result in three wards. In Ire, there was no result in two wards. In Ilejemeje, Egba Oniyo and Iludun, these are three wards in which there was no result. In all this places, where there were no results, why did the ACN not petition when they were taking their petition before the tribunal? The answer is very clear: it is because they knew that they were the ones who did the thuggery and prevented results there. We would be able to show and ask people to analyse the result of every election that has been conducted in Ekiti. Let us look at it, from 1992 onward or even before then. We shall then see the total number of votes and if the total number of votes is reducing, what does it indicate? Does it indicate that the elections are getting worse or the elections are getting better?

A place where half a million votes were involved, in 1999, and about the same half a million suddenly reducing to less than 300, 000 in 2003. What reduced it? Was there an epidemic? It is very, very clear. Available information will support the fact that the last election (2007) is the best election that has ever happened in the history of Ekiti State. But because they went with their propaganda machinery and they knew where to take their propaganda machinery people believe them. They knew they have control at the level of appeal and they only needed that propaganda to assert their control. I believe that in Nigeria, we should be after the truth. We should not allow people to package falsehood and get away with it. So, we will continue to press on to our right for fair hearing.

The thinking is that your term is supposed to end on April 29. What do we expect if you had succeed?

I don't know what to expect. But I want the truth to be the established. The truth must become the established position. These people, who are trading in falsehood and traded in false documents, should not be allowed to get away with it. This issue goes beyond my becoming governor again. It is important that Nigerians should not allow crooks to have their way.

So, your objective is to ensure that truth prevails?

Truth must prevail. We are not going to surrender to the parade of falsehood that they peddle all over the place. I thank God that people are getting to understand the issues more, despite of the massive propaganda. People are gradually recognising the truth. We want to press on for that. If they say OK we have seen the truth but that my tenure has expired, we go for another election immediately and that will not be an issue. But let us first and foremost establish the truth. Nobody should scare Nigerians away from knowing the truth.

Olajide Awe, the chairman of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Ekiti, boasted that these general elections would prove that the people of Ekiti voted for Fayemi. How do you react to that?

Well, I hope there won't be free day for thugs. Once there is no free day for thugs, the elections will prove who is really in control. But if they allow a free day for thugs, it is going to be a shame for them. But let us hope that security agencies will live up to their expectation and there will be no free day for thugs and they will not be able to have their way. You journalists should ask: why were there no election results in those places that I listed in 2007? If they say PDP was responsible for thuggry, why did they not make it part of their own petition? They are the people that went to the tribunal. Why were these places not form part of their petition. You will be able to see through their lies. They are indeed the crooks.

What are your expectations in the general elections?

My expectation is that we are going to win resoundingly all round the states in all the elections, from the National Assembly to the presidency and state's House of Assembly. We are going to win. That is if the security agencies can do their job properly.

You keep making reference to security agencies. Is there fear of possible violence?

Well, if the security agencies can do their job, we won't have violence. But if they leave thugs to have a free reign, then it will be a reign of terror. I hope the security agencies will do their job.

With your position, you must have reasons to emphasise the need for security agencies to brace up

Well, some of the thugs were arrested last Saturday and they saw some guys with a popular vest. They had machetes and axes on them and they said they were hired to work for the ACN. I understand that they have been charged to court. A couple of them were arrested in some locations. But we know that they have imported a lot of thugs and they believe that is what is going to help them.

What are the chances of your presidential candidate, Goodluck Jonathan, in Ekiti and the South West?

Our presidential candidate will win at least 70 per cent of Ekiti votes. That is very, very clear.

What of South West?
He will win resoundingly. I expect that the over all percentage would be close to that.

There is the fear that the North West and South West may come together. The two were said to have registered the highest number of voters. The North also feels cheated because of its position on power rotation.

Now, I don't think there is any chance of teaming up against the PDP candidate. They can only come together, if there is going to be a run off. But the president will win resoundingly in the first ballot.

What if there is a run off?
There is no way we will have a run off. I can assure you. We expect the president to take over 60 per cent of the total votes.

There is also the fear that there maybe protest vote from the North because some are insisting that they are being cheated in PDP.

I don't think so. Don't listen to a few propagandists who are pretending to be speaking for the ordinary people everywhere. I believe that the real result would be different.