A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), Mr. Segun Sowunmi, has said the party has not foreclosed talks with former Ondo Governor Olusegun Mimiko for next week’s governorship election.
He gave the assurance despite repeated denial by the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) in Ondo that there was no alliance talks with the PDP.
Sowunmi, who was a former spokesman of the Atiku Campaign Organisation, spoke in Akure, the Ondo state capital.
He said PDP leaders were still mounting pressure on Mimiko to collapse the ZLP structure into the PDP with a view to defeating Governor Rotimi Akeredolu at the polls.
The PDP chieftain noted Mimiko remained a key actor to ensuring the collapse of the ZLP structures into PDP and support Eyitayo Jegede.
He assured that Jegede would not depart from the vision that Mimiko has been driving.
Sowunmi warned that Ajayi candidature would be dangerous he (Ajayi) is desperate about ruling the state.
“Agboola could not be trusted, even when they gave him the second seat, as governor in waiting for Akeredolu , he makes life difficult for him and couldn’t have the decency and dignity of resigning his appointment when he chose to jump ship but carry their mandate up and down in the market, negotiating for what is not lost
“When we gave him a big reception in a big party like PDP, that did not satisfy him. Can every man insists that everytime he goes out for election he must win?
” Or he will tell the world that he’s not from Ondo state if he losses this election? There is a limit to how you must scheme for indeed God almighty is the best of schemers”
On Mimiko he said: “We are not foreclosing alliance with Mimiko, infact we are still on it and we have been begging everybody that has any voice with to help us beg Mimiko. Mimiko is too precious to PDP
“I am saying this with every sense of responsibility that Olusegun Rahman Mimiko is too precious to PDP as an individual and we will continue to beg him to come and provide leadership and direction.
“Mimiko cannot produce a son in Eyitayo Jegede and tell us who believe in him that we should stop when he has already given us instructions to go ahead and now we are on the move, even if the General is a little bit relunctatant, we are going to carry him on our head to the battle ground because Eyitayo Jegede and Mimiko are the same.
“Mimiko is our products and we have a right to him because that’s what leadership entails. A leader does not owns himself any more.
“Mimiko is one of the finest materials from the south west region in terms of intellectual capability and I can guarantee you that whatever little fray nerves we need to calm, our leaders will try hard to calm it and I believe that at the thirteenth hour, Mimiko will sit and choose the best from the candidates.
“We are talking of two personalities of Senior Advocates of Nigeria in the race, men of quality character, running neck to neck and praying that one of them should win, most likely we pray Jegede wins, and you’re talking about a man who at best there is a court order that whatever he is presenting as certificate is a matter for conjection.
“Ondo cannot fall that way. No any Yoruba state will go so low to present some like him. Do you know where we are, we are talking about the state of great Ajasin, a genius, talking about a state of Olusegun Agagu, a super genius, the state of Rahman Mimiko, the erudite Mimiko, a state of Akeredolu and you are calling who? No, no. Don’t go there please.
“There are claims that Mimiko is behind him, but I tell you that will not be enough. It will not be enough because if you want to put a candidate forward for the people, they will check the personality of those involved in the race.
“Let the pundits deceive themselves with very simple research but those who know understand that when the chips are down, every person in Ondo who has taken a decision is going to ask himself who do I trust on the job.
“I tell you this categorically that no one will think of the third man in the race as I expect him to be a distant third. I expect him to be dragging position with a little less known political parties or other small parties, when we have the two elephants in the room.
“Did you see the kind of people that attended APC flag off rally, did you see the caliber of people that attended PDP rally too, how the entire Akure burst into celebration? Who is standing with him? I believe that every contraption after this two great parties is just a minor irritation on the ballot.
“You don’t win election alone, you win election with people, you win with with stakeholders, with leadership class.”
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