Home FEATURES Akeredola Electoral Victory: Governor Miniko, PDP Sing Different Tunes

Akeredola Electoral Victory: Governor Miniko, PDP Sing Different Tunes

 Ondo state governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko
Ondo state governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko

While the outgoing Ondo state Governor, Olusegun Mimiko, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has sent a congratulatory message to Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, who was elected in the Saturday election as the next governor on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the PDP has rejected the result of the election.
This was even as a chieftain of the APC in Ogun State, Chief Tolu Odebiyi, has also congratulated Akeredolu on his emergence as the Governor-Elect of Ondo State.
In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Eni Akinsola, Governor Mimiko said: “It behoves on me as Governor of Ondo State to congratulate the Governor-elect, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) and wish him success in the challenging task of governing our dear state.
“It is incumbent upon me as Governor to facilitate smooth transition between my government and the incoming one. I will, to this end, provide the ambience for a smooth and seamless transition process.”
While promising to continue to provide leadership to the state until the takeover date, Mimiko expressed appreciation to the people of the state.
“I use this medium to express my sincere appreciation to all our citizens for the very peaceful manner in which they conducted themselves throughout the election period.
“I will not waiver in providing needed leadership to our dear state till the last day of my term.”
Mimiko called on the residents to strive to sustain the peace enjoyed in the state for the past seven years and promised to speak with the people as occasion demands “as my eight-year tenure inches to an end.”

But in a statement by the spokesperson of the PDP, Dayo Adeyeye, the party said that it has rejected the outcome of Saturday’s governorship election in Ondo State, and described the outcome of the election as a “charade and not the true reflection of the will of the people of Ondo State.”
The PDP accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of having aided the APC to rig the election.
It alleged that INEC has now “graduated from inconclusive Elections as seen in Kogi, Bayelsa, Osun, FCT, Imo, Nasarawa and some other previous by-elections in the Country to ‘Advanced Election Rigging’, as in the case of Edo and Ondo States Gubernatorial Elections.
“It is common knowledge that the APC Agents openly bought votes of the electorates in the full glare of security operatives who did nothing to prevent such dastardly violation of the Electoral Law.
“It is not surprising that the electorates in Ondo state became so vulnerable to the corruptive influence of the APC because of the hash economic situation in the Country inflicted on Nigerians by the APC Administration which has indeed made all Nigerians virtually beggars in their own Country.”
Adeyeye said that PDP had persistently called for the postponement of the election before Saturday, for at least two weeks to enable the Party campaign and prepare properly for the election.
He said that the party’s request followed the setback orchestrated by “Justice Okon Abang and the charlatans in PDP who allowed themselves to be used by the APC to destroy our chances in the Ondo state election.
“The actions of INEC in collaboration with the APC led Administration left us no time to campaign and sell our Candidate and Party Manifesto to the electorates in Ondo State.
“Our persistent call for the postponement of the Election which was backed and supported by more than 20 other political parties were all rejected by INEC which were acting the script of the APC.
“It was a carefully planned and well-orchestrated strategy to rig the Election well in advance by preventing the PDP from planning and campaigning for the Election. The APC has hereby introduced a new formula of rigging Election in Nigeria.
“In view of the fact that the Election was blatantly manipulated from the beginning to the end to favour the APC, we vehemently reject the results of the November 26, 2016 Gubernatorial Election in Ondo State.”
The PDP scribe said that the Saturday’s election and all actions leading to it fell short of laid down principles guiding conduct of elections in Nigeria.
“We have instructed our Candidate and the Ondo State Chapter of our Party to proceed to the Tribunal to challenge the Outcome of the Election. We call on the Judiciary to redeem Nigeria’s image on this matter as we request for the total Cancellation of the Election in Ondo State.”
This was even as Chief Tolu Odebiyi, in a statement by his Media Office, said that Akeredolu’s emergence is a reflection of the abiding faith of Nigerians in the APC as the party capable of rescuing the country from the rot into which the Peoples Democratic Party has thrown it.
Odebiyi said that it was also a show of belief in the capacity of Akeredolu to take Ondo State to the Promised Land after several years in the hands of the opposition.
“This is a plus also for the leadership shown by President Muhammadu Buhari in piloting the affairs of the country.
“It indeed is a reflection of the belief of Nigerians in the capacity of the President and the APC to take the country out of the doldrums despite the attempts by the opposition to rubbish the good works being done to redeem the country.”
Odebiyi praised the leadership of the APC at the national level, adding: “it is equally pertinent to congratulate the governors elected on the platform of the APC in the South West, especially the Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, because their dedication to service and delivery of democratic dividends as seen by the people must have spurred the need for change as demanded for by the people of Ondo State with the election of Chief Akeredolu.” [myad]

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