Why I supported Jang — Mimiko

Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo

by Sunday Aborisade

The Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, on Saturday, said he supported Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State because he approached him to be his vice-chairmanship candidate at the election of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum.

Mimiko said this in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Eni Akinsola.

Mimiko said he was surprised when the camp of Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State also picked him as its candidate for the same position without his consent.

The statement said, “Mimiko had earlier been approached by Jang’s group to contest as the vice-chairmanship candidate and he agreed. He was surprised when he entered the venue of the election and saw his name on the list of Amaechi’s camp also as the vice-chairmanship candidate.

“Confused by this development, Mimiko announced that he was stepping down as the vice-chairmanship candidate to Ameachi to avoid uproar since he was already in Jang’s camp.

“Mimiko thought it wise then to step down from Amaechi’s camp in the interest of democracy and fairness because it was Jang and not Amaechi, who approached him first.”

Besides, the Ondo State governor said he and other governors made efforts to convince Amaechi on the need to make the process free, fair, transparent and credible, but that the pleas fell on deaf ears.

He said, “For instance, the election was to be conducted through a secret ballot arrangement and the sitting chairman refused to dissolve the house and allow a neutral body to conduct the poll.

“Apart from that, the way they carried out the entire arrangement suggested that Amaechi and his group had a predetermined agenda of some anti-Jonathan politicians which he was desperate to implement.”

Mimiko said he and some governors walked out of the venue when it was glaring that Amaechi would declare himself as the winner of the election.

He added, “Why the confusion had yet to be resolved, the Director-General of the Governors’ Forum came up with ballot papers which he distributed to members. But pro-Jang governors protested and walked out of the venue. There would have been uproar if that decision was not taken.”

Mimiko said he read a communiqué on Saturday after a meeting with 18 of his colleagues in Abuja where he confirmed himself as the vice-chairman of the forum.

The statement added, “More than 18 governors would have attended the press conference addressed by Mimiko if some of them had not left Abuja before the notice for the press conference was sent out.”

He said prior to the election, all governors from the North had adopted Jang as consensus candidate after Governor Yisa Yuguda had stepped down while the Peoples Democratic Party Governors’ Forum also adopted Jang.

Mimiko said he was convinced that Ameachi’s group was enjoying support from the opposition parties who were bent on dividing the NGF.

Culled from PUNCH