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June 2, 2021

Mimiko moves to join APC

Mimiko

imiko


…meets Malami, Buni, others in Abuja

Not True, He remains a loyal PDP chieftain — Aide

Dr Olusegun Mimiko, National Leader of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), has described Agboola Ajayi, the party’s governorship candidate, who is also the incumbent deputy governor of Ondo State, as the best candidate to deliver good governance to the people of the state. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that Ondo State governorship election comes up on Oct. 10. Mimiko, who is the immediate past governor of the state, spoke on Saturday in Ore, headquarters of Odigbo Local Government area of the state, during the party’s launch of campaign for its candidate in the forthcoming governorship election. Mimiko also urged the electorate to collect the “stolen money” that some party had promised them and still vote for ZLP that would bring back good governance. The former governor urged the electorate not to fear or be intimidated by those threatening to unleash violence on the day of the election, saying, “we own this state together.” Addressing the crowd at the event, Agboola Ajayi promised to reduce tuition fees of the state tertiary institution from N150,000 to N50,000. Ajayi said his administration would bring back good governance and a reformed civil service that would give jobs of the civil servants to consultants. He promised to also start a programme that would cater for the elderly and bring back the various caring heart programmes that would benefit the people. “We will create a civil service revolving credit scheme for civil servants who desire to build house and buy cars. “We believe this will serve as support for them. “We will initiate a zero pothole project across the state and start an “Operation Restore Power in the South” in the first 100 days in office,” he said. Chairman of the Party in the state, Mr Joseph Akinlaja, said industrialisation would take centre stage with better welfare for the people of the state. Akinlaja said the manifesto of the party was a social contract with the people of the state, which, according to him, is rooted in the principle of social democracy for the populace. The event was attended by three former speakers of the state House of Assembly, namely: Bakita Bello, Taofeeq Abdulsalam and Jumoke Akindele, among other political bigwigs.

Baring the unforeseen, former governor of Ondo state, Olusegun Mimiko will dump the Zenith Labour Party(ZLP) and join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)

This comes on the heels of series of meetings the former governor with the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN.

Aside Malami, Mimiko had reportedly met with the Chairman of the APC National Caretaker Committee and governor of Yobe state, Mai Mala Buni aside two other governors.

It was unclear as at press time if the ZLP’s governorship candidate in the October 10 2020 election, Agboola Ajayi would also return to the APC. Ajayi had dumped APC to run against his estranged boss and governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN at the poll.

A source close the national headquarters of the APC in Abuja confided in a team of newsmen that the move to draft the former governor to the party was to strengthen it.

“From the look of things, our man(Aketi) appears not to be on same page with the Villa owing to his recent stance on certain national issues.

“So we are working hard to ensure the former governor joins us to take of the party because we cannot afford to toy with any state in the south west”, he said.

But the Ondo State Commissioner for Information and, Orientation, Donald Ojogo has dismissed insinuations that the positions taken by Akeredolu were targeted at the Villa or the Presidency.

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Ojogo said “It’s a good thing if those who left the party or even wiling ones are coming to join the party; but the slant that Governor Akeredolu’s stance on some national issues is responsible for the search for fresh frontiers is dismissible.

“Whatever position he has taken in the past or would take on national issues can only be propelled by altruism and patriotism. So if anyone finds opportunity under such cover to blackmail the governor as being at loggerhead with the villa, it will be unfortunate.

The commissioner said that ” But if it happens, we won’t be surprised because some persons take politics to boundless levels not minding whether the well being of their folks is endangered or not.

Reacting however to the move, One of the aides to the former governor of Ondo state debunked the defection rumours saying Mimiko remains a stong, loyal and committed cheiftain of the People’s Democratic Party in Ondo state.

According to the Aide, who pleaded anonimity revealed that his boss (Mimiko) truly went to Abuja but the purpose was not political and he never met with the APC party chairman or the Attorney General of the federation, AGF, Mr Abubabar Malami.

Vanguard News Nigeria

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