The Ondo State Chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has described the political associates of former Governor Olusegun Mimiko as liabilities rather than assets to the All Progressives Congress (APC). However, the ruling APC said the defection of the 29 members of the PDP who were loyalists of the erstwhile governor to the APC is a testament to the attractiveness of the party’s vision and Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’ ‘s leadership......See Full Story>>.....See Full Story>>
Sunday Telegraph recalls that the twenty-nine political associates of Dr Mimiko have dumped the PDP for the rival APC ahead of the November 16 governorship election in the state.
The associates served with Mimiko in different capacities as commissioners, Special Advisers, Assistants, and Chief Press Secretary.
In its reaction to the defection, the public secretary of the PDP, Kennedy Peretei, expressed sympathy with APC for accepting those he described as a political virus who have come to destroy the ruling party.
Peretei said “Anybody who has diligently followed Ondo State politics since 2007 will appreciate that, there is nothing to all the hype about the celebrated defections.
Those defecting used Mimiko’s name as cover, which has attracted the most scathing attacks and uncomplimentary remarks on the personality of former Governor at least in the social media.
“I just wonder, why they did not use their names, since they claimed to be big names, instead of bringing the former Governor into this controversy.
“In 2014, Mimiko decided to join the PDP with all his Commissioners, Special Advisers, Senior Special Assistants, two Senators, eight House of Representatives members, 25 Ondo State House of Assembly members, and all the political appointees.
“The entire government apparatus was collapsed into the PDP. Former President Goodluck Jonathan believed that, with the LP joining the PDP in the State, the APC stood no chance in the 2015 general election ( especially Presidential, which was his interest). But here are the results of the 2015 Presidential Election: The PDP polled 251,368 votes (44.80%) and the APC polled 299,889 votes (53.45%)
“Things did not get better for the PDP in the 2016 Governorship election. The PDP won in only two of the eighteen Local Governments, that was how a minority party inherited the reins of power by default. Fast forward to 2019.
“Somehow, by this time, Mimiko had exited the PDP. His new party was the Zenith Labour Party ( ZLP).
“In the 2019 General Election, the PDP roared back to reckoning even despite a sitting APC Governor in Alagbaka Government House and an APC President, Muhammadu Buhari, who sought a second term. APC polled 241,769 votes while PDP’s Abubakar Atiku polled 275,901 votes.
“Needless to mention that, PDP won two of the three Senatorial seats and three House of Representatives seats, lost the fourth with less than 200 votes.”
The PDP said the residents cannot point to one positive thing the APC government has done in nearly eight years to make life more meaningful for the people. It said students of tertiary institutions in the state are dropping out of school, while insecurity is the order of the day in different parts of the state.
In its reaction, the Director of Media and Publicity of the APC, Mr. Steve Otaloro, said the defectors are not “transactional” or “flimsy,” but rather, they are individuals who recognize the progress made under Governor Aiyedatiwa’s administration.
According to him, the governor’s election plan is not about personal gain but about continuing the good work he has started.
The defectors’ desire to contribute to the state’s repositioning and support President Tinubu’s national efforts is genuine and commendable.
He said, “The PDP’s criticism of Governor Aiyedatiwa’s financial management is unfounded. The state’s internally generated revenue has increased, and the governor has prioritised spending on critical areas such as education, healthcare, and infrastructure development.
“The abandoned road projects mentioned by the PDP were false claims as work is progressing on all the ongoing projects in the state, except they’re ignorant of this or playing politics of bitterness not to admit it.”