March 12, 2009
Dr Olusegun Rahman Mimiko is barely I8 days in office as the Executive Governor of Ondo State but he is already finding the office a hot seat indeed. If unfolding events in the past couple of weeks in the state is anything to go by, then Governor Olusegun Mimiko is enjoying a tortuous start to his delayed mandate as the Governor of Ondo State no thanks to the present face-off between the PDP-dominated Ondo State House of Assembly and the Labour Party-controlled State Government. It all started when in his first official act as the governor of the State, Dr Mimiko ordered the dissolution of all the elected 18 Local Governments council’ Executives in the State and the immediate freezing of their accounts basing his order on the fact that since the Appeal Court-ousted former Governor Agagu of the PDP was not, during the time of the council polls, the validly elected Governor Of Ondo State, he lacked the powers to conduct elections in the 18 local government areas in the State. Expectedly, the State chapter of the PDP was quick to cry foul seeing that the majority of the dissolved council Chairmen were from the PDP and this action, the PDP construed as a grand design by the new Labour Party government to whittle their sphere of influence in the State. Barely three days after Governor Mimiko assumed office as the 5th democratically elected Governor of Ondo State, what started as a ‘hush hush’ rumour became a breaking news alert in Akure the Ondo State capital; the PDP members of the ODHA were planning to impeach the new Governor! The reason for the impeachment moves was the alleged unconstitutional dissolution of the Local Government Councils’ executives and the subsequent freezing of their accounts by Governor Mimiko which the PDP members of the ODHA claimed was not the prerogative of the executive arm of government and which therefore constitutes an impeachable offence. After a visit by Governor Mimiko to the ODHA to meet with principal officers and also to explain his position on the dissolved local Government executives, the PDP members of the House made a volte-face saying there was no truth or substance in the rumoured impeachment bids by the PDP on the newly sworn in Governor. The speaker of the ODHA, Mr Taofeek Abdulsalami in a press briefing (after the impeachment story broke like a bad rash on the cover of national dailies) said there was “no truth” in the purported impeachment of the Governor by the ODHA stating that rather, the House was “committed” to working and “co-operating” with the new Labour Party Government to “move the state forward“. One would expect these conciliatory words from Mr Taofeek Abdulsalami to douse the tension between the two parties but from all indications, both sides are loathe to bury the hatchet and let peace reign in the state. Matters assumed a new dimension on Monday, the 9th of March when some principal officers of the House from the PDP were barred from gaining entrance into the ODHA complex by security men. The reason given by the security men was that Monday being a Public Holiday as declared by the FG to mark the Eid-ul-Molud celebrations by Muslims Faithful across the country, and the ODHA being on recess from the5th till the 10th of March, the members had no business being in the House hence their refusal to allow them entry. However, investigations by this Sahara reporter revealed that the refusal to allow the PDP members entry into the HA complex may not be unconnected with the fears of the LP that the 15 PDP members of the ODHA may be planning to abscond with the Mace thereby bringing legislative business to a halt in Ondo State. In a press briefing following this incident, the Minority Leader of the House Hon. Dayo Akinsoyinu opined that the security men were right to bar the PDP members from entering the HA complex saying they have no business being there on a supposed work-free day except they are up to a mischief. On the other hand, Hon. Igbekele Boledeoku of the PDP who is the arrow-head of the PDP impeachment moves against Dr Mimiko is screaming ‘blue murder’ saying they, the PDP members of the House , no longer feel safe at all to carry out their legislative business. In fact, as at the time of writing this report, rumours (unconfirmed) were rife that the PDP members were planning to shift their base to Abuja and if possible with the Mace. In the light of this ’rumour’, the Clerk of the House, Alhaji Barrister Jaiyeola Dada has been quick to assure all and sundry that the mace is safe as there is no immediate or remote threat to its safety and he intend to keep it so. In a related development, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Mimiko, Mr Olabisi Kolawole has pleaded with the PDP in Ondo State to “please come to reality and give peace a chance”. In a press release which was made available to newsmen in Akure, he deplored the “satanic and anti-people plot” to impeach Governor Mimiko. Defending the dissolution of the LG Executives, Mr Kolawole argued that the Governor’s actions “is well within the ambit of the law as the purported election that brought the sacked council executives and their legislature into being was conducted against subsisting injunctions of courts of law”. furthermore, he advised the PDP or any group of people that have any grouse with the Governor’s actions to seek redress in the court of law saying “this is the best option rather than taking the law into their own hands”. In conclusion, the CPS enjoined the PDP thus: “ in the interest of peace, the PDP or its agents should take their case before the law court, and refrain from doing anything that will breach the peace in Ondo State”. And so as the political battle and horse-trading continues in the “Sunshine State”, the undoubted victims are the teeming masses of the state who have high hopes on their new Governor, but who right now is being deprived the opportunity to settle down to the business of delivering his numerous electoral promises to the people of the state by this current executive/Legislative stand-off. As the saying goes, when two elephants fights, the grasses suffer. DIN SHEHU AKURE, ONDO STATE
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