Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State is
perhaps the greatest torn in the flesh of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN)
leadership in the entire Southwest. Leader of the party, Bola Tinubu said
Mimiko promised to join ACN before he won his case in court. But Mimiko has
refused to leave his party, the Labour Party, apparently, on principles.
In this interview, one of those close to Mimiko during the struggle to wrest power from the PDP in the state, Dr. Olu Agunloye who is also aspiring to contest the governorship election on the ticket of ACN confirmed that indeed, Mimiko was to join ACN after winning his case in court. He also disclosed that governor Mimiko forced him out of the Labour Party.
He said he had a good chance of becoming the next governor of Ondo State adding that whenever people talk of loyalty to the party leadership, his usual reply is that his antecedents speaks for him. He made reference to Professor Wole Soyinka whom he succeeded at the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and the late Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Bola Ige.
He said he remained loyal to the two at the risk of his life and his job even when he no longer needed them. He reasoned that anybody interested in party members who will remain loyal to the party leadership after winning election should consider the record of all aspirants. He also gave reasons why he believes he can do better than the incumbent governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko. Excerpts:
Why do you want to be governor of Ondo State?
The drive to become
governor had always been connected with having been minister and holding other
offices in the past. Some believe that now; I am qualified to do this and to do
that because I have been this and that. In my case, it is a drive to serve and
I know that by the generation, by opportunities, by advantages that I already
have, I have one of the best that Nigeria can offer its citizens. In that case,
what do I do? I believe that the best you can do is to give back the best that
you can which in this case is to serve as diligently as much as possible.
In the case of Ondo State, we know that the state require a lot of improvement and a lot of progress. All along, we have had administrations that governed Ondo State that had not done all that are required to be done. I see myself eminently qualified to be that change-to be a change agent in this case. I see myself eminently qualified to also serve Ondo State so that we move to the next level. Specifically, in terms of service, which I believe, is the core of the issue here, we believe that three criteria would be very critical. One is the idea of competence either by training or former experience and I believe I am competent in that level. The second one is being credible.
You need somebody who is not only competent but also credible. I believe I also have that after 34 years in service. The third one is somebody who is compassionate. We need somebody who will not go there and divert the entire hospital fund for some other things. We need somebody who will understand that youth employment is critical factors for the development of the state.
In the case of Ondo State, we know that the state require a lot of improvement and a lot of progress. All along, we have had administrations that governed Ondo State that had not done all that are required to be done. I see myself eminently qualified to be that change-to be a change agent in this case. I see myself eminently qualified to also serve Ondo State so that we move to the next level. Specifically, in terms of service, which I believe, is the core of the issue here, we believe that three criteria would be very critical. One is the idea of competence either by training or former experience and I believe I am competent in that level. The second one is being credible.
You need somebody who is not only competent but also credible. I believe I also have that after 34 years in service. The third one is somebody who is compassionate. We need somebody who will not go there and divert the entire hospital fund for some other things. We need somebody who will understand that youth employment is critical factors for the development of the state.
Why did you settle for ACN and not any other party?
The ACN factor is a
good one because if you translate ACN to be a progressive party and naturally,
I’ve always found myself to be in a progressive party. The ACN has always been
a progressive party. If you go back to the Action Group, SDP, UPGA and AD, you
will know that Ondo State has the tendency to be a progressive party. It has
always been great. I was also in the AD until we had an incursion to the PDP
with the hope of getting Ondo State on the part to be in the mainstream and
angling for development.
But it turned out that it was a major mistake on my own part and on the part of other people at that time. This is like working back to the answer. At that time, this was one of the best decisions that we took. After that, we found out that the best way to wrestle power from the clutches of reactionary people who had a stronghold on the Southwest and Ondo State in particular was to move to ACN.
But in Ondo State, under the guidance of Mimiko, it was not the most exigent thing at that time because we did not want to position ourselves as fighting against Obasanjo. If you remember, Atiku Abubakar had differences with Obasanjo and he was in AC. So, AC was not the vessel for the change at that time. It became the Labour Party of Nigeria. Of course, up to a point, it was assumed that Labour Party was some kind of AC and later; Labour Party would dissolve into ACN in Ondo State. After some time, it became clear as Aregbesola put it that “Omi eko, ki se eko”. So, let everybody bear his father’s name. The parting of ways started at that point.
With some stroke of luck for me, the activities of Labour Party to kick me out in January 2011 left me with no choice than to be back to the fold of the progressives. You were actually kicked out of the Labour Party? Yes. I was kicked out.
Why?
But it turned out that it was a major mistake on my own part and on the part of other people at that time. This is like working back to the answer. At that time, this was one of the best decisions that we took. After that, we found out that the best way to wrestle power from the clutches of reactionary people who had a stronghold on the Southwest and Ondo State in particular was to move to ACN.
But in Ondo State, under the guidance of Mimiko, it was not the most exigent thing at that time because we did not want to position ourselves as fighting against Obasanjo. If you remember, Atiku Abubakar had differences with Obasanjo and he was in AC. So, AC was not the vessel for the change at that time. It became the Labour Party of Nigeria. Of course, up to a point, it was assumed that Labour Party was some kind of AC and later; Labour Party would dissolve into ACN in Ondo State. After some time, it became clear as Aregbesola put it that “Omi eko, ki se eko”. So, let everybody bear his father’s name. The parting of ways started at that point.
With some stroke of luck for me, the activities of Labour Party to kick me out in January 2011 left me with no choice than to be back to the fold of the progressives. You were actually kicked out of the Labour Party? Yes. I was kicked out.
Why?
I don’t know why I was kicked out and I don’t
want to speculate on that. I also think I have more information at this
time. But I don’t think it is important to my aspiration. I was kicked out
because of the way it happened.
Few hours before I was asked to step down for Professor Boroffice for the race for the senate, I didn’t expect that kind of pressure from Olusegun Mimiko (governor of Ondo State) and the Labour Party hierarchy. They were saying that as one of the owners and father of the party, it should be one of the sacrifices that I will have to make. I didn’t see it as one of the correct thing to do. So, I was forced out of the party. I became ACN candidate and ran for the election.
So, you lost the election?
Few hours before I was asked to step down for Professor Boroffice for the race for the senate, I didn’t expect that kind of pressure from Olusegun Mimiko (governor of Ondo State) and the Labour Party hierarchy. They were saying that as one of the owners and father of the party, it should be one of the sacrifices that I will have to make. I didn’t see it as one of the correct thing to do. So, I was forced out of the party. I became ACN candidate and ran for the election.
So, you lost the election?
It is important for
me to state here that I did not step down for Boroffice. I did for Mimiko.
Mimiko was the one who forced me to step down. There was no way, talking about
Boroffice; there is no way I would have stepped down for him. I also did not
believe that I lost that election to Boroffice. I lost the election to Mimiko.
My issue is not with Boroffice but Mimiko.
People who followed the election at that time knew that ACN was set to win the election and Agunloye was to become elected until Mimiko came with force and did so many things. No point to worry about them. People know what Mimiko did to the electorate, to the Obas and a host of people involved making sure that election result was declared in favour of Boroffice. It was really I versus Mimiko. Mimiko has a reputation for following the game according to the rules. I don’t know where you got that. I don’t know what you are referring to. Mimiko himself will not say so. People who know him would not say so. What is before us now is the election.
People who followed the election at that time knew that ACN was set to win the election and Agunloye was to become elected until Mimiko came with force and did so many things. No point to worry about them. People know what Mimiko did to the electorate, to the Obas and a host of people involved making sure that election result was declared in favour of Boroffice. It was really I versus Mimiko. Mimiko has a reputation for following the game according to the rules. I don’t know where you got that. I don’t know what you are referring to. Mimiko himself will not say so. People who know him would not say so. What is before us now is the election.
How close were you to him before you fell out with him?
I was close to him
for his bid to become governor. Mimiko could be described as my younger friend.
It was Olusegun Agagu I was close to as his friend. But then, Mimiko was my
very close associates. We were not friends but because of the differences in
age. We were very close to the level that I was his surety several times when
he was bargaining with Agagu. I stood there as Agagu’s friend to listen in and
be held responsible for how the discussion went.
But in his bid to
become governor, I played critical roles. In the struggle for 21 months after
the INEC announced another result, I was in that struggle. After he became
governor, I was with him. On personal ground, I would say I had no close
relationship with Mimiko.
Why do you think he asked you step down for Boroffice? Could it be that he considered him a better material?
Why do you think he asked you step down for Boroffice? Could it be that he considered him a better material?
He knew Boroffice
is not more competent than myself. But he must have other reasons, which to me
is not relevant now.
Are you aware that ACN has the reputation of not going through primaries to pick their candidates? Well, I don’t like the way you put it. There were cases I see primaries conducted under ACN and under AD and UPN. But it is also correct to say that there were cases and instances where that process is not done the way we all understand it. It is a kind of selection process. They have perfected that selection process over the last 60 years. In most cases, it has led them to less confusion. We expect that they will come up with the best of their experience to resolve the so many candidates and come up with somebody who will be generally acceptable and generate the minimum rancour and make everybody to work together.
What edge do you have over other aspirants on the ticket of ACN in Ondo State?
Are you aware that ACN has the reputation of not going through primaries to pick their candidates? Well, I don’t like the way you put it. There were cases I see primaries conducted under ACN and under AD and UPN. But it is also correct to say that there were cases and instances where that process is not done the way we all understand it. It is a kind of selection process. They have perfected that selection process over the last 60 years. In most cases, it has led them to less confusion. We expect that they will come up with the best of their experience to resolve the so many candidates and come up with somebody who will be generally acceptable and generate the minimum rancour and make everybody to work together.
What edge do you have over other aspirants on the ticket of ACN in Ondo State?
The number of people in the race will not affect
my chance. There are a lot people who are ready to be governor of Ondo State.
There are people who are also aware that the next government would be produced
by the ACN. People now want to go to ACN because that is the party to produce
the next governor. I have very high chance. Factor one is being on ground. I
have the ability to win election and convince the people. I have a structure
that works in 203 wards in Ondo State. I have 47 offices that activities are
going on regularly. That is different from meetings going on people’s bedroom
and sitting rooms.
The second factor is: who will be a good bridge between the hard core ACN who are colleagues from AD. Some were colleagues in PDP. Some of them are members of excos in wards and local governments. The same applies to other pressure groups, artisans, NUPENG and so on and so forth. I command a lot of respect from these groups.
Besides that, he had a percentage of them working with me. People who are still in Labour Party and those still in PDP and they want to come to ACN. Another factor that gives me edge is my pedigree that is not only envious but also credible. We are not in Ondo State election now to introduce someone and qualify him by long sentences. Another factor in my favor is the issue of technical and managerial experience.
Again, we have found out that when you get a governor, he is more or less an administrator. He is a manager and for people who have not managed business of running more than 10 or 15 people, they may not have managerial experience as I would have. I have run large-scale organizations like the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) of 105 formations.
That was what it was at that time. I was Minister of Defense of Navy at a time that Nigeria was almost at war. It was a naval war. It was the Bakasi. These are tasking experiences, which are very important for me.
There is the issue of loyalty. I know that it is hard to say because if you ask any of the 20 or so aspirants if they are loyal, they will say yes. But loyalty to whom do you mean? It is assumed that you are loyal to your benefactors. That is what it is here. You are not talking of loyalty to a cause. That is not how it is used in politics. In politics, you want to find out if you will be loyal to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Rauf Aregbesola and people who support you to get the position. The point I want to make is that when that issue comes up, everybody will say yes. Nobody would say no. How do you know if they would be loyal and I say check the antecedent?
Two cases come to my mind. Case one: I became Head of Road Safety commission with a lot of support from Professor Wole Soyinka and he was my chairman for two and half years. He left. Events that happened four years after show that I was loyal to him at a time I needed not to care about him.
You may not know the details but I need not have worried about Soyinka being killed by Abacha or being arrested by him. I was not in charge of that and he was no longer my chairman. So, if at that time I rose up to the issue, it is a mark of loyalty.
Second one is Bola Ige. I served as SA to him and through his leverage; I became minister after he was killed. For the last ten years, I have set up Bola Ige movement and I have kept the case and the name of Bola Ige on every year-twice in a year until last year when there were more Ige children in position of power who provided very elaborate ceremony to mark his tenth year. Otherwise, it could have been my own again.
If I was not loyal to Bola Ige, why do I have to do that? I could also talk about Rufus Giwa and some who helped me one way or the other. Those are people I see as role models at one time or the other. In my activities after they had died are signs of loyalty. You take Ige for instance; I rose vigorously to his aide at the risk of my own life and at the risk of my own position in government to defend him when he was accused of stealing N2.3b.
Mimiko is rated high in performance by the public and many wonder what he is not doing that you would do as governor?
When you say Mimiko is rated high, I am sure he himself would be smiling. He would say: ‘Yes, I got them’. He is rated high because he had paid to be rated high. He has got about 25 awards in the last four years. He has spent money to mentor those awards and the most expensive was the NUJ award in Akure.
There are no kids in Nigeria anymore. People know they are ephemeral, unnecessary and they are expensive. I used to have in my office the shields I got when I was in Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC). What I see when I got other people’s offices made me to remove mine. Awards have ceased to be correct awards in the last five years. They have been extremely corrupted.
The second factor is: who will be a good bridge between the hard core ACN who are colleagues from AD. Some were colleagues in PDP. Some of them are members of excos in wards and local governments. The same applies to other pressure groups, artisans, NUPENG and so on and so forth. I command a lot of respect from these groups.
Besides that, he had a percentage of them working with me. People who are still in Labour Party and those still in PDP and they want to come to ACN. Another factor that gives me edge is my pedigree that is not only envious but also credible. We are not in Ondo State election now to introduce someone and qualify him by long sentences. Another factor in my favor is the issue of technical and managerial experience.
Again, we have found out that when you get a governor, he is more or less an administrator. He is a manager and for people who have not managed business of running more than 10 or 15 people, they may not have managerial experience as I would have. I have run large-scale organizations like the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) of 105 formations.
That was what it was at that time. I was Minister of Defense of Navy at a time that Nigeria was almost at war. It was a naval war. It was the Bakasi. These are tasking experiences, which are very important for me.
There is the issue of loyalty. I know that it is hard to say because if you ask any of the 20 or so aspirants if they are loyal, they will say yes. But loyalty to whom do you mean? It is assumed that you are loyal to your benefactors. That is what it is here. You are not talking of loyalty to a cause. That is not how it is used in politics. In politics, you want to find out if you will be loyal to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Rauf Aregbesola and people who support you to get the position. The point I want to make is that when that issue comes up, everybody will say yes. Nobody would say no. How do you know if they would be loyal and I say check the antecedent?
Two cases come to my mind. Case one: I became Head of Road Safety commission with a lot of support from Professor Wole Soyinka and he was my chairman for two and half years. He left. Events that happened four years after show that I was loyal to him at a time I needed not to care about him.
You may not know the details but I need not have worried about Soyinka being killed by Abacha or being arrested by him. I was not in charge of that and he was no longer my chairman. So, if at that time I rose up to the issue, it is a mark of loyalty.
Second one is Bola Ige. I served as SA to him and through his leverage; I became minister after he was killed. For the last ten years, I have set up Bola Ige movement and I have kept the case and the name of Bola Ige on every year-twice in a year until last year when there were more Ige children in position of power who provided very elaborate ceremony to mark his tenth year. Otherwise, it could have been my own again.
If I was not loyal to Bola Ige, why do I have to do that? I could also talk about Rufus Giwa and some who helped me one way or the other. Those are people I see as role models at one time or the other. In my activities after they had died are signs of loyalty. You take Ige for instance; I rose vigorously to his aide at the risk of my own life and at the risk of my own position in government to defend him when he was accused of stealing N2.3b.
Mimiko is rated high in performance by the public and many wonder what he is not doing that you would do as governor?
When you say Mimiko is rated high, I am sure he himself would be smiling. He would say: ‘Yes, I got them’. He is rated high because he had paid to be rated high. He has got about 25 awards in the last four years. He has spent money to mentor those awards and the most expensive was the NUJ award in Akure.
There are no kids in Nigeria anymore. People know they are ephemeral, unnecessary and they are expensive. I used to have in my office the shields I got when I was in Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC). What I see when I got other people’s offices made me to remove mine. Awards have ceased to be correct awards in the last five years. They have been extremely corrupted.
Source: The Sun Newspaper June 16, 2012.
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