Mimiko Meets Buhari, Says Jegede Remains PDP’s Lawful Candidate

CHANNELS TV

The Governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko, has faulted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the listing of Jimoh Ibrahim as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the forthcoming Ondo governorship election.

Speaking with State House correspondents after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, Governor Mimiko insisted that Eyitayo Jegede is the lawful candidate of the party.

“We see this action by INEC as potentially dangerous. It can cause conflagration in the state and that is why as the Chief Security Officer of the state, I have come to alert Mr President of the potential danger of this injustice so that we can nip it in the bud,” he said.

He stated that the Jimoh Ibrahim factor is predicated on a court order given by Justice Okon Abang about zonal and state executives of the PDP.

According to him, there is nothing about the 2016 election in that judgment. So, on the basis of this, INEC refused and discountenanced the name of Jimoh Ibrahim as a candidate.

“Then they went ahead and filed form 48 and from the blues, the same Justice Abang mandated INEC to replace the name of Eyitayo Jegede who emerged through a primary process that was supervised by INEC,” he lamented.

The Ondo governor argued further that ordinarily INEC should have disregarded the order because, Jegede was not a party to the suit, neither was Jimoh Ibrahim. But that they were advised that it was very important to appeal so that if anybody is up to a mischief, they would have taken the plank off the person.

Mimiko added that “President Buhari has promised to look into the matter and that if there is any injustice, it will be rectified”.

Some members of a faction of the DP in the state have kicked against the list of governorship candidates released by the electoral body, claiming that the PDP candidate was a wrong one.

Protests held in the state’s capital, Akure at the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Speaking on protests, Governor Mimiko said that he had been in contact with all the parties to ensure that they keep the peace in the state.

He concluded: “This injustice will not stay”.