As the political season in Ondo State draws near, a medical practitioner, Dr Abbas Mimiko says he might join the race to succeed Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.
Mimiko disclosed this in Ondo his country home while interacting with a cross-section of journalists in the State recently.
The Governorship election in the State is slated for November 16th, 2024, barely a year from now.
He said, “speculations are rife all over the place as per who and who are going to run or not run. A lot of people have approached us to consider a rescue mission for Ondo State. We keep all our options open, while praying for the best for our dear Sunshine state.”
Dr Mimiko who spoke on the political chances of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), noted that the people of the State are in the best position to judge the performance of the present APC Government.
“We know for a fact that Governor Arakunrin Akeredolu has played his part. The people will be the judge. What I personally admire in him is that he is a man of conviction. He demonstrated courage under fire on the formation of Amatekun.
“With Bros Aketi, what you see is what you get. He led the Southwest Governors’ Forum to establish Amotekun, our regional security apparatus, at a time when it was risky for him to do so. Remember, he had his faith hanging in the Supreme Court and could easily have lost his governor’s seat.
“And we all know what the then Cabal in Aso Rock felt about the idea of Amotekun at that time. Yet Aketi stood his ground.
“The more pertinent question now is: why are those in the APC government who stood their ground when Aketi cancelled the free school shuttle bus service, the free Maternal Care and Childcare service, among a myriad of lofty, people-oriented programmes of Olusegun Mimiko, saying they want to succeed Arakunrin Akeredolu? Again, that is for the people of Ondo State to decide.
“If performance is the factor upon which the people will decide, neither APC nor PDP will fly. A third force is anyone’s best bet. People are tired of being lied to by the long-existing political establishment in Ondo State. They need something new and promising. They want to look out for their common good by themselves, instead of surrendering their franchise to those they believe impoverish them using the instrumentality of power,” he said.
Dr. Mimiko added that Ondo State is richly endowed by God in human and natural resources, hence it has no excuse to continue to wallow in poverty.
“And our people are not asking for the moon. They need Food security, Potable water, vibrant business and investment environment to prosper, access to good education and vocational training, affordable mass housing projects, comprehensive and affordable healthcare services and a secure environment within which to prosper.”
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