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Leaders of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State have pleaded with the former governor of the state, Olusegun Mimiko, not to dump the party for Labour Party.
However, they said that if he turned down their pleas, they would not follow him and this may spell political doom.
Chieftains of the party from the former governor’s Ondo Central Senatorial district met in ldanre area of the state to plead and warn him of the dangers ahead if he dumped the party and returned to Labour Party.
Speculations have it that Mimiko is planning to return to the party on which platform he became governor in 2009 and served two terms.
The former governor was said to have been angered by the manner the South West was schemed out of the chairmanship of the party during the last National convention.
He was said to have not been comfortable with the domineering nature of the governors of Ekiti and Rivers states, Ayo Fayose and Nysome Wike respectively.
Mimiko, according to sources, has met with some of his aides, former members of his executive, chairmen and members of boards and parastaltals and other political office holders on their return to Labour Party.
While he is still consulting, major stakeholders in the state and party rose from the ldanre meeting and advised him to have a rethink.
His former Chief of Staff, Kola Ademujimi, former Ambassador to Australia, Olu Agbi, former state chairman of the party, Tayo Dairo and his former lnformation Commissioner, Kayode Akinmade, said talks were on to persuade Mimiko not to abandon the party but to remain in order to lead it in regaining power from the failed APC administration in the state.
The Secretary of the party’s Central Senatorial District, Ade Adegba, said the Senatorial district had resolved to remain in the PDP.
“The People’s Democratic Party in the Central Senatorial District of Ondo State have resolved to stay within the party. We have met with the former Governor, Olusegun Mimiko, and advised him to stay in the PDP. Up till now, he is yet to make his position and decision known.
“We are very optimistic with the intervention of our national leaders, state leaders and senatorial leaders because they all encouraged him to stay within the party and thank God with what is going on in Nigeria now; all opposition parties want to fold with PDP to dislodge the vagabonds we have today. These are some of the advice given to Mimiko”, Adegba said.
PDP in the state is very optimistic that when next it will be having the next senatorial meeting, Mimiko will be in attendance, pointing out however that in case the former governor leaves the party, members of the party will not follow him.
“We have made our decisions known that we are not leaving the party. All leaders across the state have held their meeting and resolved not to leave the party. “I can assure you by the time we are having the next senatorial meeting in the last Sunday in the Month of May in Akure South, we won’t be surprised if Mimiko is seen at the meeting”, Adegba assured.
He said that the former governor told them that he was still consulting. “What he said was that he was aggrieved with the outcome of the last National Convention of the party and the leaders of the party; Bode George has called him to say he can’t cry more than the bereaved that he was the one that contested for the National Chairmanship of the party, but all to no avail.
“It has to do with our decision, because all his former aides have advised him to stay within the party. A tree alone cannot make a forest,” he said.
YOMI AYELESO, Akure
