The governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party in Ekiti, Chief Segun Oni, has appointed a seasoned journalist and major stakeholder in the party, Mr. Moses Jolayemi, as the spokesman for the campaign and Chairman of the Segun Oni Media Committee.
A statement signed by Oni and made available to journalists said Jolayemi would, henceforth, direct the affairs of the media team, both internal and external, with a view to reengineering the entire communication architecture as the campaign entered the next crucial stage.
A team of seasoned journalists grounded in various aspects of communication had also been inaugurated.
In the discharge of their duties, Oni told the new chairman to ensure his members adhered to developmental journalism and ensure that their public communications were purely issue-based.
Oni also cautioned the team to avoid the use of abusive language associated with the two other parties.
According to him, none of the candidates of the other parties should be called out for personal abuses or humiliation, adding that members of the media team should use their wealth of experience to communicate the party’s programmes and manifestos to the general public.
Ekiti people, Oni said, were highly knowledgeable individuals who could not be swayed by the pranks and propaganda of the duo of the ruling All Progressive Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party.
The SDP candidate, however, acknowledged the exigency of putting certain issues in proper perspective and correcting “their lies” when and where necessary to avoid feeding the public with falsehood.
“As I have always told you, falsehood has a limited shelf life. Both Fayemi and Fayose have failed Ekiti and that reality is already staring them in the face,” he stated.
This, according to him, explains the unprecedented upsurge in support for the SDP across the land.
Speaking further, Oni said, “Your job is to showcase what we did while in office, what we intend to do when elected back into the office and to light up those dark corners where they may want to hide their falsehood, to ensure that our people are not hoodwinked again and sentenced to another four years of suffering and servitude.”
Ekiti people, Oni said, were now at the cliff and had suffered enough.
“This is why they have all come out to say ‘Ekiti K’oya, o to gee’
Oni expressed confidence in the new leadership of the media team and charged them to deliver to expectations.
Jolayemi brings along a wealth of experience spanning over 30 years as a reporter, correspondent, line editor, title editor, editorial board member, and finally Editor-in-Chief and Managing Director of a national newspaper.
He has worked in the major A-list newspapers including The Guardian, Daily Independent, Thisday, and Newswatch newspapers.
Within that space of time, he was a stringer for Daily Mirror of London and Washington Post in the United States.
Jolayemi was Senior Special Assistant (Media and Publicity) and head of the Public Communications Bureau of the state during Oni’s first term as governor.
He was later appointed to the cabinet as Special Adviser in charge of tourism.
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