ONDO: Mimiko lied to you, AD tells Buhari

As the violent protest that greeted the listing of the name of Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, continued on Saturday, the Ondo State chapter of the Alliance for Democracy, AD, has said that the state Governor, Olusegun Mimiko lied to President Muhammadu Buhari that the state was on fire.

It would be recalled that violent protest had broken out on Friday after the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, listed Ibrahim as the candidate of PDP in its final list of candidates on Thursday.

Governor Mimiko, while the protest lasted on Friday, met with President Buhari at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja, insisting that the action of INEC was capable of setting the state on fire.

However, the AD, in a press statement by the State Secretary of the party, Dr Sola Agboola, on Saturday, said Governor Mimiko should be held responsible for the organised mayhem in the state.

According to AD, PDP thugs and street urchins were hired to carry out the acts of brigandage, blocking roads in Akure, the state capital.

Read also: Ondo boils as more protests greet Jimoh’s candidacy in PDP

The party also said the purpose of the mayhem was to sustain the ” lies concocted by Mimiko to the President that the State was on fire owing to the list pasted by the Independent national Electoral Commission (INEC)”.

“In order to make his subterfuge work, the embattled Governor threatened the Deji of Akure, Oba Aladelusi Aladetoyinbo with deposition if he fails to incite the market men and women and force closed the Main market in order to make his ploy seem real.

“At the same time, hired thugs from outside of the State in cahoots with the some members of the drivers’ union, whose State Chairman is the Governor’s kinsman from Ondo, caused mayhem in order to whip sentiments for his minion, who regrettably is a lawyer.

“We are calling on the law enforcement agencies to call Governor Mimiko and his protégé, Mr Eyitayo Jegede, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) to order and hold them responsible for any infraction and breakdown of law and order. They are the authors of this organised mayhem.

“The AD as a peaceful party abhors violence and destruction of public properties and we view with seriousness this shameful act of brigandage to force the hands of the law to do your wish by fire by force as Mr Mimiko is doing. The present mayhem is an organised one being perpetrated by the Ondo State Government and not that of the reaction of the people. Besides, that it came a day after the said incident happened and far into the midmorning when workers, market men and women, school children have gone to their respective offices and schools speaks volumes,” the AD said.

By Timothy Enietan-Matthews….

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