Ex-state Sen. Dean Skelos was preparing to take the witness stand Friday at his corruption retrial in Manhattan federal court, after dodging giving testimony the first time.

Skelos’s co-defendant and son, Adam Skelos, was asked by reporters whether he or his dad would be testifying, after the judge made a reference earlier Friday to the planned testimony of “Mr. Skelos,” without saying which one.

“One of us will — and it’s not me,” Adam replied.

Dean later confirmed he would take the stand when asked by The Post.

The disgraced former senator did not take the stand at his 2015 trial, which was overturned on appeal.

His testimony at the retrial will mark the first time he offers up a story to rebut the government’s allegations that he and his son used Dean’s position as the state’s powerful Senate majority leader to strong-arm companies lobbying him to give Adam do-nothing jobs and consulting gigs.

Dean is expected to say he wasn’t asking for help for Adam as part of an illicit quid pro quo, sources have told The Post. He will say he asked people he knew to help Adam find work — but not in exchange for legislative help.

Earlier Friday, the defense sought to lay the groundwork for Dean’s testimony with a witness who said that the legislation Dean passed in relation to his corruption case was generally “not controversial” and often passed with a vast majority of the Senate vote, including 60-1 in one case and 58-1 in another.