The ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) on Tuesday accused former Ondo state governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko as planning a third term bid in the forthcoming governorship election using the Zenith Labor Party (ZLP) as a camouflage through the support of Deputy Governor of the state, Mr Agboola Ajayi who is contesting for the governorship election.
Mimiko who is a former Secretary to Ondo Government and ex-Minister for Housing and Urban Development is also ZLP National Leader. The Zenith Labour Party has Ajayi as its candidate.
APC Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena, said the entire governorship campaign of the ZLP was centered on Mimiko. The party said it was not surprised the entire governorship campaign of the ZLP has centered on Mimiko rather than ‘the obscure and supposed party’s governorship candidate, Agboola Ajayi.’
The party warned Ondo residents to be cautious of the divide- and- rule policy that characterized the eight- year rule of Mimiko in the state. It also recalled how the former Governor factionalized his then party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The statement partly reads: ‘Perhaps, Mimiko deludes himself that the good people of Ondo state have forgotten how they were subjected to his arbitrary, tyrannical and dictatorial actions when he governed the state. They have not!
‘It is on record how Mimiko factionalised his then political party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for his political divide and rule tactics in the party and government. Under Mimiko, government projects and patronage were disapproportinately distributed only based political servitude not priority needs of the State.
‘Little wonder many of Mimiko’s associates have ditched him and are now frontline leaders of the APC, in firm support of our candidate, incumbent Governor Rotimi Akeredolu. It is understandable, that the ZLP’s supposed governorship candidate has nothing to campaign on after juncketing several political parties to purchase their governorship ticket to contest the October 10 election in Ondo state.’
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The ruling party flaunted the credentials of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, insisting its candidate’s records of performance were visible to all, particularly in the area of infrastructure, agriculture, human capital development, industry, entrepreneurship, among others.
‘Governor Akeredolu first-term administration has ensured prudency, accountability, transparency and blocked leakages which have ultimately enhanced good governance. Ondo State has witnessed unprecedented and massive infrastructural developments, culminating in over 300 kilometres of critical roads beinn constructed and rehabilitated. Ondo is one of the model states that is successfully domesticating and implementing the diversification and agriculture drive of the APC government, with an army of over 6,000 trained Agripreneurs.
‘The Ondo people know Governor Akeredolu as the governor who signed into law, a contributory health insurance scheme which enables all classes of people in the state access to affordable health care services. Under Governor Akeredolu, the good people of Ondo state are better off and are poised to overwhelmingly return him to continue his administration’s good work, come October 10.”