Segun Oni, the Social Democratic Party candidate for the June 18 Ekiti governorship election, says he dumped the PDP because the party condoned cheating.

Oni, a former Ekiti governor, is seeking to become Governor Kayode Fayemi’s successor on the platform of SDP.

The 67-year-old politician spoke on Sunday night at a debate organised by Channels TV in Ado-Ekiti.

“I don’t like cheating. I detest cheating and don’t collaborate with cheats. I don’t like people to cheat. If I see a party that has no respect for its own rules. I see it as not my type of (political) party,” Mr Oni explained. “I contested the PDP primary, and it was supposed to be a secret ballot, and the world saw how it became open to the extent that one man was being shown every ballot.”

The SDP governorship candidate added, “I believe if the party meant business, it should have said no. If it aspires to rule Nigeria and put confidence in people, it would have said no.”

Mr Oni had, on February 5, dumped PDP after losing the governorship primary in Ekiti to Bisi Kolawole, former Governor Ayo Fayose’s anointed candidate.

Mr Kolawole was declared PDP governorship candidate after polling 671 votes to beat Mr Oni, his closest rival, who scored 330 votes.

Mr Oni was the former governor of Ekiti on the platform of the PDP between May 29, 2007, and October 15, 2010, before a court judgment later removed him in favour of the then-candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria, Kayode Fayemi.

Mr Oni later defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress after the party’s metamorphosis from ACN to support the second term bid of Fayemi.

He, however, returned to PDP in 2020 after he fell out with Mr Fayemi, the incumbent governor.