—– Says let’s allow the best candidate emerge, system run efficiently

By Dayo Johnson, Akure

Governorship candidate of the Zenith Labour Party, in Ondo state, Dr Abass Mimiko, has kicked against the rotation of the governorship seat amongst the three senatorial districts in the state.

Abass Mimiko, is the junior brother of the former governor of the state, Dr Olusegun Mimiko.

Recall that there exist a gentleman agreement that the governorship seat be rotated amongst the three Senatorial districts in the state.

The last three governor’s, the late Olusegun Agagu, Dr Olusegun Mimiko and the late Rotimi Akeredolu hails from the South, Central and the Northern Senatorial districts respectively.

All the candidates across the parties contesting the November 16 governorship election are from the Southern senatorial district except the candidate of the Zenith Labour Party, Dr Abass Mimiko.

Mimiko said this while addressing newsmen at the Correspondents’ Chapel of Nigeria Union of Journalists(NUJ) Secretariat in Akure, the state capital.

According to him ” we need quality people. First and foremost, let this system run efficiently. Then if we like, we can make rotation a law.

“They will say it’s not constitutional. Yes, we can put it into law. But we can have a proper agreement within the state that from now on, it’s no more a gentleman’s agreement.

“It is like we are on a flight, and the plane is about to crash. We want the best pilot in the world to pilot that plane to safety, not the ones that come from a particular neighbourhood.

“That’s my own challenge with regards to whether it’s the turn of the South, North or Central.

” Until we have a system where every mother feeds herself and her children, where every father goes home proudly in the evening with money in his pocket to take care of the school fees of his children, we can’t do rotation now. Let’s get the best of the best.

“If my manifesto is not sound enough, and you have Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s manifesto that is more sound, let us go for him. If it is Agboola Ajayi’s manifesto that is sound, let us go for the best.

“Let us forget about the idea of rotation now, because we’re dying of hunger, we’re dying of disease, our children are dropping out of school, universities, colleges of education, polytechnics, because they can’t feed themselves and they can’t pay school fees.

“It’s not time to think in terms of rotation. Maybe when we have the luxury of success in the future, maybe we can come to that. As at now, if we have the luxury of success in the future, maybe we can come to that.

Speaking on his brother’s endorsements, the candidate said ” I don’t want him to give me any endorsement. What I need is the people, the endorsement of the masses and the people of Ondo State.

” I won’t vote for somebody whose brother is raising his hand saying I became governor, come and vote for my brother! No!

Mimiko added “I will vote and campaign against such a person. If the brother, is capable, he should present his credentials so that we can assess him as an individual.

” His brother having run an administration, we can then add one extra mark, because the brother did well, believing that perhaps he will do well too.

“So I don’t want to be referenced, you can reference me as part of the success of the ‘Iroko’ phenomenon because we planned many of those good programmes together, but I can’t claim those programmes.

“I was not the governor, I want to be governor so that I can showcase the plans I have. Iroko’s administration will be child’s play with what we have on the ground for Ondo.

Speaking on vote buying, Mimiko said that ” “The bane of vote-buying. First of all, let me make one thing clear. The masses of Ondo, I want them to hear us loud and clear.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not coming to rig elections for APC. Don’t let anybody deceive you that because we are the government in power, therefore, automatically, the President will come and impose you.

“The president wants his country to run and run successfully. And he has taken some very bold steps. It’s unfortunate that we have states like Ondo that are not seizing the momentum.

“Look, they’re saying they’ve cancelled subsidy. Didn’t they increase allocation? Was Ondo State receiving N10 billion before cancellation of subsidy? What have they done with the double allocation they’re receiving? They’re just giving the president a bad name.”

He exempted President Tinubu from some of the challenges being faced by Nigerians, saying some of the governors, particularly Aiyedatiwa, are not doing the right thing to rescue the people from excruciating economic crisis.

Mimiko said that if Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa were putting the people’s money in the right programmes, he wouldn’t challenge him at the poll.

“Niger State wanted to do agriculture. I’m aware that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu took him on a tour, got him the necessary required help. Now, Niger State is virtually self-sufficient in food production.

“Abia State wants a seaport in a place that doesn’t have linkage to the sea. See, this is what they call vision! You don’t have access to the sea, you want a seaport.

“That’s a leader! Didn’t the president ensure that they have a license? Why didn’t he say, oh, you don’t have access to the sea, we can’t give you a seaport license?

“The president has done his bit in helping the states, let our own governor stand up. The money you are receiving, do agriculture, the money you are receiving, do health services. If you were doing those things, we would have no reason to challenge you. That’s the truth.

“So, in terms of vote-buying, it’s linked to what I’m saying, because they think the president will give them the money to buy votes. It’s going to be their pipe dream. It will never come to reality.

“Secondly, they want to save up the money that is coming to the state so that they can give N20,000, to people during elections. If you use N6billion to do agriculture, we will vote for you without needing to buy us as slaves. That’s what we are saying.

“So, I’m not disturbed about the idea of the fact that they are coming to do vote-buying, I’m disturbed about whether the people of Ondo State will rise up and be greater than N20,000 for election, which is N14 a day, to buy their destiny, to buy their careers, to buy good job creation, to buy maternal care that is free, to buy no tuition for schools, but I believe Ondo State will be wise.”

On security, Mimiko said that “We will build Amotekun into a very effective force. One of the units of Amotekun will be called ‘Farmland Watch’. Their own duty is to patrol the farmlands in all the 18 local governments to ensure that no theft and to ensure that nobody terrorizes any farmer that is growing food for us, for our food security. So it’s a matter of security, food.

“We will secure Ondo State because without security, there can’t be development. You are trying to bring foreign investors, you’re trying to bring local investors. If you don’t have security, nobody is going to come.