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We Worshipped Mimiko Like A Religion But That Doesn't Make us His Slaves, Says Ondo PDP Chairman

“Honestly, I am not convinced because majority of us [his followers and generals] passed through his tutelage because we were worshipping him like religion while in the PDP but that doesn’t make us his slaves to always do his bidding."

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Clement Faboyede, Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State, on Saturday said the reasons given by former Governor Olusegun Mimiko for dumping the party for the Labour Party (PDP) are not genuine.

On Wednesday, Mimiko had resigned his membership of the PDP for the Labour Party, citing "well-thought-out personal reasons". Hours before the announcement, SaharaReporters had reported that he was set to dump the PDP for LP in pursuit of political relevance.

Faboyede said the executives of the party were aware that Mimiko initially consulted some political parties hence his silence on its activities before finally leaving.

He explained that the former Ondo State Governor was like an "emperor" worshipped like a religion when in the PDP, as many members and supporters always passed through his school of thought. However, he said this did not mean they were his slaves.

The Ondo PDP Chairman spoke with SaharaReporters via a telephone interview while reacting to the defection of Mimiko.

He said the PDP members in the state consulted by Mimiko while planning to leave were not truly convinced by the excuses he gave.

“Well, Olusegun Mimiko is now a free man; he is our leader with a very mature mind and he already told us the reasons why he is leaving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the Labour Party," Faboyede said.

“We knew he consulted with all strata of political parties and didn’t work for him before he finally left us, although we all thought he won’t leave us because we were not convinced about his bases of dumping PDP.

“But he made up his mind to resign. Being one of his supporters and products, I was not convinced with the reasons he gave in his resignation letter not because I am the party Chairman but because I know what is currently happening in the country as a whole.

“Honestly, I am not convinced because majority of us [his followers and generals] passed through his tutelage because we were worshipping him like religion while in the PDP but that doesn’t make us his slaves to always do his bidding."

He added that the unanimous decision to follow Mimiko to the PDP from LP in October 2015 was taken then because the umbrella party was then a ruling party at the federal level.

“That unanimous decision was very reasonable as at that time because we wanted to connect to the national platform and the motivation he gave to us then was that we couldn't do it alone and would need to be in PDP and we left en masse for Labour.

“Now he wants us to leave the PDP, which still has the national platform and connection for the labour party that doesn’t even exist talk less of having any connection in Nigeria."

Faboyede, however, said the former Governor has only gone on a "political voyage" to the Labour Party, as just few of his supporters and allies left with him from the PDP.

“My Oga [Mimiko] said he was going back to the Labour Party (LP) and I don’t know where the party is now today in Nigeria. I have been thinking of the state or local government being ruled by the so-called Labour Party and even their Action Democratic Congress (ADC).

“Let me tell you that If there is going to be any form of coalition today ahead of the 2019 general election, it has to be with the PDP and if there is also going to be any negotiation by all these political parties it has to be with the same PDP.

“The PDP is the national alternative party that can provide the takeover that the people can use to dislodge this inept government of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“The hope of the Nigerian people is of the PDP, even in the south-east, south-south, south-west, northeast, north-west and north-central; there have been good testimonies and few elections conducted in the country have also shown that people still prefer the PDP than the APC."

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