BY ABIODUN NEJO
People’s Democratic Party, PDP, House of Representatives aspirant in Ekiti State, Mr. Segun Olanipekun, has denied being at war with Governor Ayodele Fayose over the ambition.
Olanipekun, who denied being part of last Ssunday’s protest against the governor, accused his political detractors of sponsoring such falsehood to undermine his chances of winning the primary.
The PDP aspirant for Ekiti Central Federal Constituency 1 condemned those who allegedly implicated him in the imbroglio and urged the general public “to disregard the reported story because it was concocted and peddled by my political foes, just to dent my image and set me against the party leaders in the state.” He emphasised that those who saw him as a threat were the ones behind the alleged campaign of calumny.
Olanipekun denied leading the protest that resulted in destruction of the party’s secretariat in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday, stating emphatically that he was neither in Ekiti when the protest unfurled nor ordered anybody to engage in what he described as a barbaric act.
“The report was written, sponsored and circulated by my political enemies because there has never been a time for me to either complain on the screening that was held last week or say something else on my aspiration because I know I am still in the race,” he told The Crest in the capital.
“What I am working towards is about how I will be victorious in the forth-coming primary election and I believe that I will coast home to victory.”
He described himself as a committed party man who will never think of doing anything that could cause crisis within the party, not to talk of leading “a destructive and needless protest”.
He stressed that despite the fact that PDP was not declared winner of July 14 election in the state, the party was still very popular and with the state of things in Ekiti, PDP was still a party to beat.
He implored his supporters not to engage in anything that could affect his chances of victory in both the forthcoming primaries and general elections, but continue to sensitise people so that the aspiration will see the light of the day.
