OGUN State governorship candidate of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), Prince Olatunde Rotimi Paseda has denied insuniations that he has stepped down for the incumbent governor of the state, Senator Ibikunle Amosun of the All Progressive Congress (APC).
Paseda said those spreading the rumour of his stepping down are afraid of his grassroots support as the candidate to beat in the forthcoming governorship election slated for April 11, 2015,
Speaking to reporters at the arrival hall of the general aviation terminal of the domestic wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos aboard a flight from Kaduna, Paseda said he will not step down for neither the APC candidate or any other party because the UPN has lined up people oriented programmes to improve the lots of Ogun indigenes and residents
He assured his teeming supporters to discountenance rumours of his stepping down for Amosun as a calculated attempt to erode the value of the UPN, which he said is poised to deliver developmental programmes for the people of the state.
He said: “On my purported stepping down for the candidate of another party is a dream that will never come true. I understand that there are some rumours, hearsays that I have stepped down for Senator Ibikunle Amosun. I’m sure, Amosun himself knows that I will never step down for him and in this particular race in Ogun State, he is also aware that it’s between Paseda and Amosun, everybody else is inconsequential. They don’t even have any presence in Ogun State.
“So, for anyone to think that for a cheap political gains or advantage is a dream. Every single household in Ogun State knows Paseda and there are lots of tricks that are being played. My posters are being removed, my billboards are being removed and replaced with Other billboards. I think they are just being intimidated. They feel that I am a formidable force and they think the only way they can do that is to spread ugly rumours that they feel can give them advantage.
“My message to my people is for them to keep doing what they are doing. They know I won’t step down for Amosun and we are poles apart. They want to give themselves the false hope. They will see that Awolowo has reincarnated and Ogun State will go back to where Awolowo started and left it.”
On the card reader test run by INEC at the weekend, he hailed Jega for a good job affirming that the use of biometrics is the best way to eliminate fraud from the electoral process.
He said: “I have absolute confidence in Jega conducting free and fair polls. I think he’s just being witch-hunted. Any man that can agree to use biometrics must be interested in free and fair process and not just in election.
With this, it is difficult for you to rig; you slot in your card and shows your face before you vote and this is known to everyone. Anybody that agrees to use that system has the interest of Nigeria at heart.
“Anyone that is saying that it shouldn’t be used, definitely, such a person is looking at a pecuniary gains or means to rig the elections and the teeming masses of this country won’t allow them. We have to use the card readers, as this will bring sanity to this country. I want to use this opportunity to appeal to the media to challenge the status quo.”
