Ondo State Governorship Election: Asiwaju Bola Tinubu & Olusegun Mimiko 'trades words'!

The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu at the weekend finally opened up on why the party relationship with the incumbent Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko turned sour.

Tinubu who was the former Lagos State Governor described Mimiko as a betrayer, who according to him refused to fufill his promise of joining their party after he got their supports to win his governorship case at the Tribunal and Appeal courts in 2009.

“Mimiko is a traitor. We are going to defeat him without rigging. He has betrayed others in the past. He got into the late Chief Adebayo Adefarati’s executive council in 1999, betrayed him and moved to the Peoples Democratic Pary (PDP). He later betrayed Olusegun Agagu and came back.

“He promised that within 30 days of his declaration when we were fighting the case in the court, he would join Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and after being sworn in, he started dilly-dallying. That is his trait. He’s not principled; a person with character would not do that definitely”. Tinubu said

Meanwhile, the Ondo state governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko has denied making any promise to join the ACN.

Mimiko also said he never got any financial assistance from Tinubu to secure his mandate at the Tribunal and Appeal courts in 2009.

According to him, “that statement credited to me is a cheap propaganda to tarnish my image by some desperate politicians.

“And I want to clarify another rumour that I collected money from Tinubu. I Mimiko did not collect a dime from Asiwaju Bola Tinubu during and after the Guber tribunal 2007 and 2009 but we became close due to their fight for the same cause.

But the Akeredolu Campaign Organisation has described Mimiko’s statement as unbelievable. Akeredolu’s spokesman, Idowu Ajanaku asked governor Mimiko to explain the source of financial assistance to the litigation that gave him victory at the Nabaruma led election petition tribunal.

Ajanaku said the governor’s political antecedent can best explain his character.

Similarly, the spokesman of the State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mr. Ayo Fadaka said it is surprising that Mimiko could utter such statement.

Fadaka said they are aware of the financial and moral support given to Mimiko by Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu during the litigation that gave him victory.