Mimiko’s return and the future of Ondo PDP

Last week, some governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) besieged Ondo town to invite former governor of the state to PDP. HAKEEM GBADAMOSI writes on the development and its implications on Ondo politics.

THE polity was in frenzy last week following the news of the defection of a former Governor of Ondo State, Dr Olusegun Mimiko to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for the third time. The latest move by Mimiko and his political family is seen from many quarters as culpable of shaping the next general election, especially as PDP leaders have been making frantic efforts to penetrate the South-West geopolitical zone of the country.

The visit of four PDP governors to Mimiko’s Ondo country home heralded the announcement of his defection and his supporters from the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) to the PDP. Governors Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Nyesom Wike of Rivers, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia state and Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, had held a closed-door meeting with Mimiko, for about one hour.

Tambuwal, who spoke after the meeting said: “We are here in Ondo town, the residence of our leader, Dr Olusegun Mimiko to invite him back to his political family, the PDP. As you can see, we have governors from Rivers, Oyo and Abia states and we have had a robust engagement with him.

“We are very hopeful that we are going to have positive response from him soonest. Our message is simple: let us come back together to reposition the PDP towards rescuing Nigeria now. We are to reposition the country and to ensure that PDP is back to the power in 2023.”

Though, Mimiko did not give an emphatic response to the request of the governors, he said the meeting was part of a series of meetings held with various leaders from different political parties in the last two months.

Mimiko said: “This is the one of the series of interactions we have had for over two months and they have come at least to convince us why we should come back to join forces with them in PDP. “We have listened to them; we will go back to our stakeholders’ meeting because it is them, the stakeholders that will decide before we will take our decision. It is the stakeholders that will decide. I will give the stakeholders my opinion and they will decide if we should move.”

The stakeholders, however, quickly took a decision on rejoining the PDP and agreed to collapse the structures of the ZLP into the PDP.  The consensus among the stakeholders was that the move was in the best interest of Ondo PDP ahead of the 2023 general election.

The return of Mimiko to PDP has become a subject matter of discussion among politicians and political analysts in the state and at the centre, who noted that the move would change the political equation in the state. This is because former governor is skilled in reaching out and settling political issues. Most of his political followers believe that some crises within the PDP in the state would have not happened if Mimiko was with the party.

The opposition PDP has been enmeshed in internal crises and factionalised, forcing it to lose its voice to the All Progressives Congress (APC). But analysts argue that with Mimiko on board, the PDP’s battered image would be repaired and the party gain the trust of the people of the state, who have been clamouring for a better opposition.

Mimiko, a grassroots politician and mobiliser was appointed, for the second time, as commissioner for health by the late Chief Adebayo Adefarati.  He parted ways with Adefarati and teamed up with the late Dr Olusegun Agagu in 2003 to defeat Adefarati. He was appointed as the Secretary to the State Government before he was appointed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo as the Minister of Housing.

However, Mimiko and Obasanjo parted ways over his governorship ambition, and left PDP to form a less-known Labour Party. He contested for the governorship seat against Agagu, defeating Agagu and PDP in the election, though the victory had to be affirmed by the court.

On the same LP platform, Mimiko was elected for a second term, making him the first governor to spend two terms in the state. He, however, returned to PDP with his foot soldiers and supporters in the wake of the 2015 general election to support the aspiration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.  He later left for the Zenith Labour Party ahead of the 2019 election. Though he attempted to use the ZLP platform to pursue a senatorial ambition, he was defeated by the PDP candidate, Senator Ayo Akinyelure. He had remained in ZLP until last week’s defection.

Some of his traducers described him as a political prostitute, who has frequently jumped from one party to another over interest. But a political analyst and commentator, Idowu Olafusi, defended the former governor, saying Mimiko’s defections are always based on principles. He noted that politicians would always seek for relevance in the political space.

Some also saw the return of Mimiko to PDP as a surprise pointing to the friction between him and his political godson, Eyitayo Jegede, his Attorney General and Justice Commissioner for eight years, who he imposed as the party’s governorship candidate in 2016, despite hailing from the same senatorial district as his. The action then created animosity within the party and Jegede lost the election to Akeredolu. Though Jegede visited his former boss to receive his blessing for the 2020 election in the state, Mimiko openly threw his weight behind former deputy Governor Agboola Ajayi in the contest. This seemed to have widened the gulf between Jegede and Mimiko.

However, with Mimiko’s return to PDP, the structure and leadership mantle of the party in the state may reside with Mimiko as the highest political office holder in the state. Although, Jegede would be expected to work with Mimiko, who is currently seen as the overall leader of PDP in the state, a tendency of a clash between the two, owing to their recent past, cannot be ruled out.

Many analysts opined that unless there is a genuine and true reconciliation of all aggrieved members, who had been sidelined, it is not yet Uhuru in the PDP. The party in the state attended the recent national convention with divided house as many of the party members kicked over the choice of the consensus candidate.

The argument of some members of the party is that the slot should have been zoned to other areas since the present chairman of the party hails from the Northern senatorial district.

Some analysts opine that Mimiko’s defection to PDP would relegate Jegede to the background, arguing that Mimiko will automatically take over the control of the party structure from Jegede and this might not go down well with the legal luminary.

Also, Mimiko’s defection would throw up the fortune of the ZLP governorship candidate in the last election state and the immediate past deputy governor of the state, Ajayi, who lost the election to Akeredolu. Ajayi has maintained his dead silence and has been off political radar after the election.

Ajayi, a member of the APC who dumped the party for PDP after irreconcilable differences between him and Akeredolu also left PDP after losing his bid to win the PDP ticket to Jegede and moved to ZLP. It is, however, believed that the return of his political mentor to PDP will restore the future of Ajayi in the state politics.

The return of Mimiko could shrink the political influence of a former PDP deputy chairman in (South West), Dr Eddy Olafeso, who is currently having running battle with the present leadership of PDP in the state.

The state publicity secretary of the PDP, Mr Kennedy Peretei described the return of Mimiko as a welcome development. He said: “This is a welcome development to the extent that politics is a game of number and there is nothing wrong with people who have made their mark in the politics of Ondo State joining the party. “Mimiko was governor for eight years in Ondo State and there is nobody that has such record. Also, Agboola Ajayi is a former deputy governor and returning with him. Although, we have former deputy governors in our rank, their coming will however be to add value to what is already on ground. They should come to add value to the existing structures of PDP. I also believe that their return will swell our rank; they will come with their supporters.”

A former chairman of the party Ebenezer Alabi said; “It is time we forgive each other and rebuild our party. I have just gone through an unjust suspension orchestrated by the leadership of the party. Whoever that has not sinned should throw the first stone. I heartily welcome the great Iroko back to PDP.”

The immediate past senator for Ondo South, Yele Omogunwa, also described the coming of Mimiko and others to the PDP as a welcome development, and said: be our brother’s keepers. The stature of Dr Mimiko, a two-term governor, a former minister, Secretary to State Government and commissioner would add life to our party.  This is the time all political warlords should come together except we are happy with all that is happening around us. Let us work together in the interest of our people. Mimiko is welcome to the fold and I join others to welcome him back home.”

But the return of Mimiko to the PDP has also fuelled controversy within the party as some party members kicked against his return. A member of the PDP in the state, Mr Bode Obanla, threatened to approach a court to stop the party from re-admitting Mimiko. Obanla is of the opinion that Mimiko should not be allowed to hold any leadership position in the party, saying that is the position of the constitution of the party.

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