Ondo state PDP heads for tribunal; berates its national leaders for congratulating Mimiko

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State claims to have gathered shocking evidences of malpractices and irregularities, and disclosed plan to contest the outcome of the last weekend’s polls at election tribunal.

Similarly yesterday, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), which also alleged irregularities in the conduct of the polls, said it was waiting for the outcome of a meeting by its leaders to decide on the next line of action.

The Ondo chapter of the PDP, in a statement by its Director of Publicity, Ayo Fadaka, berated some national leaders of the party who have already congratulated Mimiko on his victory, saying they should have made adequate consultation with their members in the state before making such moves.

In the statement, the Ondo PDP said it was particularly concerned by the “various comments and congratulatory messages sent by the National Publicity Secretary of the party and even some leaders of the party to Mimiko over his victory in the last election that is fraught with irregularities.

“This flurry of messages particularly by our kith and kin in the PDP without due consultation with us at the state level to discover what actually went wrong has the potent tendency to misconstrue our position and the actions we intend to take on this matter.

“We take serious exception to the obvious lack of camaraderie in our party and the indecent haste of certain functionaries to fall on each other in congratulating a man who essentially is a beneficiary of a compromised election. It is important to place on record that the avalanche of the security provided for the election was lethargic and absolutely in contrast to what obtained in Edo State.”

According to the party, “the posted security men were only visible and present in the urban areas and they left the rural areas and villages un-policed thereby allowing Mimiko and his goons to compromise the election.

“We are still gathering evidences of malpractices perpetrated in this election and what we have gathered so far will shock every apostle of one-man-one vote to their marrows. Therefore, we declare most irrevocably that we will contest the result of this election and we assure our people we will get victory and Mimiko will leave government the same way he came.

“As far as the PDP in Ondo State is concerned, the battle is just beginning and victory is certain. Let whoever so desire continue to congratulate Mimiko but we will battle him legally. We call on our members to remain undaunted in the face of this abandonment by those who ordinarily should show understanding and care at a time like this.”