BE Politics: Ondo State Election 2012 is done
Bola Tinubu vowed to add Ondo States to the list of ACN states in the West. Ondo is the only state in the West that is not ACN.

Landslide Mimiko

October 21, 2012.

Mimiko with the results

After months of intense politicking and anxiety, the Ondo State governorship election ended yesterday with Governor Segun Mimiko  of the Labour Party emerging victorious.
The announcement of the results by the Independent National Electoral Commission began at 2:55am today and ended at 4:30am when  the process was discontinued.  One of the INEC officials told the gathering of  electoral officials, party agents and security agents that more declaration of the results would resume at 10am.
As of the time the announcement was stopped, the results from 15 Local Government Areas had been announced. The results clearly showed that  Mimiko’s victory at the poll was all but assured.

Out of the 15 LGAs, the LP candidate won in 12 LGAS including Akoko South-East, Akoko North-East, Akoko North-West and others. The Action Congress of Nigeria candidate, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, won in two local government areas, while the Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Olusola Oke,  won in one.
ACN won in Akeredolu’s local government, Owo, and Senator Ajayi Boroffice’s Akoko South West Local Government Area. PDP won in Okitipupa Local Government Area.Results from three local government council areas were not declared.
Mimiko started the day on a good note winning his polling unit whereas the Action Congress of Nigeria candidate, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, lost  his polling unit and ward to the governor’s party.
Mimiko polled 348 votes at his Ondo Ward 7 Unit 20, while the PDP and the ACN scored 18 and 16 respectively. Voters across Ondo trooped out to the streets after Mimiko’s victory in his ward.
Akeredolu scored 139 in his Ward 5 Unit 6 in Owo, while Mimiko  scored 144 votes, just as the PDP polled 35.
It was also gathered that the PDP lost at the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Mr. Kingsley Kuku’s polling unit, RCM Unit 2, Arogbo Ward1. The result showed that the LP polled 97; PDP, 85; and ACN 16.
At Adumasi House, Unit 04, Ilepa Ward II, Ikare, Akoko North-East Local Goverment Area, ACN had 82 votes with the LP polling 100 and PDP, 60.
There was jubilation in Akure, Ondo and Owo towns when news filtered in that the LP was  leading  in the results announced at the various polling units in the state.
There were altercations between loyalists of LP and the ACN in some parts of Oka, Ikare and Akungba over the election results.

Some of the ACN members had accused the ruling LP of engaging in ballot stuffing in some areas.
Despite initial fears of voter apathy, there was a high turnout of voters in most parts of the state.
In Ondo-North Senatorial District of the state, voters trooped out to polling centres amidst tight security by the joint patrol team comprising army, police, civil defence and men of the State Security Service.
As early as 6am, security agents were seen patrolling all major roads in the district.
Stern-looking security men mounted roadblocks and stopped vehicles from Okene, Benin and Abuja at the Ondo State borders.
Helicopters of the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigerian Air Force kept the state under surveillance during the period of voting.
In Oka, Ikare, Arigidi, Akungba and other communities in the Ondo-North Senatorial District, voters were at polling centres as early as 6:30am.
By 7am, electoral officers were at the polling stations awaiting materials from INEC officials.
Accreditation began in some of the units at exactly 8am while it was delayed in others areas till about 9a.m, as a result of logistics.
In Unit 8, Ward 6, Ayegunle via Oka-Akoko, voters were already being accredited as of 8am, with agents of the PDP, LP and ACN present.
At Unit O4 Ward II, palace ward, CAC and others in Ikare, young and elderly men, women and youths jostled for accreditation and voting.
The Supervisory Presiding Officer in Ikare, Mr. Oladele Adebisi, expressed deep concern that some of the presiding officers recruited for the exercise did not turn up.
He said, “We are happy that the people are complying, and we are working hard to meet up with time and finish with accreditation on schedule.
“The only challenge we have is shortage of hands in some units. So now I am looking for more hands for units where there are more people.

“There is supposed to be an Assistant Polling Officer with one APO I and II, two each in each unit. But some of those billed to work are not available.”
The Ofua of Ikareland, Chief Alfred Omotola, described the turnout of voters as impressive.
He said, “We are peace-loving people. We are orderly here. There is no problem at all. I have come here to do my accreditation, and I have been accredited.
“No one will be forced to vote for a party when voting begins. Everyone will vote for a party of his or her choice.”
In some polling units, security agents were seen screening voters before being allowed to queue up for voting.
In Unit 10, Ward 5, where Boroffice registered, two regular policewomen were on ground, but the senator complained about inadequate security personnel in his unit.
He expressed fears of possible disruption of the exercise as some unnamed persons had earlier threatened to disrupt the exercise.

However, he said a detachment of soldiers on guard about 500 meters away from the booth had assured the people of adequate security of their votes.
In Ugbo, stern-looking and heavily armed soldiers appeared to be in a show of power with the police.
A police detachment was refused passage by armed soldiers, who barred motorists from moving before 5pm.
Entreaties by the leader of the police detachment to the soldiers fell on deaf ears as the soldiers only allowed journalists passage after proper identification.
The police detachment had to stay in the queue like civilians while bemused members of the public watched the scene.
Police siren-blaring vehicles were warned by soldiers at checkpoints.
Some residents, who defied the movement restriction order, were made to jump along the road by the soldiers.
Source: http://www.punchng.com/news/mimiko-leads/

Mimiko: The man they call Iroko

October 22, 2012.

Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State
Iroko is a large hardwood tree found mostly in the west coast of tropical Africa. According to the Yoruba tradition, any man who cuts down an Iroko tree risks devastating misfortune on himself and members of his family. They also claim that Iroko’s spirit can be heard in houses which use the wood specie, as the spirit of the Iroko is trapped in the wood. This is one of the myths associated with Yoruba traditions.
Although the Yoruba do not name their children Iroko, some use it as sobriquet. Since the Yoruba also have a tradition that “a man’s name paves the way for him,” it is not surprising then that the supporters of the re-elected Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, chose the sobriquet Iroko for him when he first declared his intention to vie for the governorship of the state in 2007.

There were indications that the national leadership of the PDP put pressure on Mimiko who was at that the Minister of Housing to put his ambition on hold and allow Agagu to go for another term. But Mimiko ignored entreaties and resigned his appointment as a minister.
While it was expected that Mimiko, who served under Agagu as the Secretary to the State Government, would challenge his former boss, the expectation was that both men would slug it out at the PDP primaries.
But against expectation, Mimiko dumped the PDP and chose the platform of a relatively unknown Labour Party to try his political luck.
To many political watchers and analysts, this was suicidal, especially in a country where people cast their votes based mostly on party affiliations. Besides, Mimiko only declared his interest four months to the election.
According to the result of the April 14, 2007 gubernatorial election declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mimiko lost the election to Agagu of the PDP.
Since the judiciary remains the last hope of a “common man,” Mimiko took his case to the election petitions tribunal and won. But the PDP went on an appeal. Since truth is constant, the Court of Appeal in Benin, Edo State, reasoned along with the tribunal and declared Mimiko the duly elected governor of Ondo State on February 23, 2009. The court, which was the final arbiter, argued that the election of Agagu could not stand because it was marred with irregularities.
The election thus proved political pundits wrong that Nigerian could vote based on personalities rather than party affiliations.

If Mimiko had it tough in 2007, it is expected that he would find it tougher when he declared his intention to seek re-election in 2012. This belief was rooted in the determination of the Action Congress of Nigeria to bring Ondo State to its fold to complete its dominance of the “progressives” in the South-West.
In one of his campaigns, Mimiko told the people of the state, “If you vote for me again, I will continue to work for you. You all know me, I am not a stranger in your midst; I have been your commissioner and when I was your commissioner, I did well for you; I was your Secretary to State Government ; when I was SSG, I did well for you. I was a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and when I was there, I did well for you so you all know my antecedents unlike some people who want to now govern you out of the blues.
“God is our godfather; we won’t bow before any other god.”
While godfatherism may not be ruled out of Nigerian politics, the people of Ondo have once again proved that the power of the ballot lies with them. They overwhelmingly once again chose Mimiko as their governor for the next four years in the result declared by INEC on Sunday.
The result declared by INEC showed that Iroko won in 14 local governments, while both Olusola Oke of the PDP and Rotimi Akeredolu of the ACN won two local governments each. Specifically, Mimiko polled 260, 199, Oke, 155, 961, while Akeredolu got 143,512 votes.
Speaking shortly after his re-election, Mimiko said, “We shall engage in all-inclusive development of all segments of our state. Nobody and no sector shall be excluded. By this I don’t mean that I would bring in opposition political parties into my government.”

On regional integration, he said, “I believe in the integration of all the states in the South-West through the development of a workable template that would launch the zone into prosperity.
“My idea of regional integration is not in terms of coming under one political party. It is based on leveraging on our geographical structure. There can be a developing template that everybody and every sector can key into.”
Born on October 3, 1954, to Pa and Mrs. Atiku Bamidele Mimiko, his great, great grandfather was the High Chief Adaja Gbegbaje of Ondo. His great grandfather, Chief Akinmeji, was the revered Ruwase of Ondo. His grandfather, Famimikomi, was an achiever, who was well respected in the community.
The respect people had for Famimikomi, many people believe, rubbed-off on his own son, the late Pa A. B. Mimiko, who was also an achiever in his own right as a manager of men and materials, a successful cocoa farmer and merchant, who had interest in reading and monitoring global developments.
The governor’s mother is of the prominent Ogunsulie family of Ondo Kingdom.
Source: http://www.punchng.com/news/mimiko-the-man-they-call-iroko/

Mimiko’s victory reflects Ondo people’s will – Osun PDP

October 22, 2012.
Peoples’ Democratic Party in Osun State says the victory of the Labour Party in Saturday’s governorship election in Ondo State was a reflection of the peoples’ will.
Director of Publicity, Media and Strategy, Osun PDP, Mr. Diran Odeyemi, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Osogbo on Sunday.
Odeyemi, while congratulating Governor Olusegun Mimiko on his re-election, noted that his victory showed that the people still wanted him in power.
“Democracy has worked this time around, and what it means is that the era of election rigging or manipulation of results is gone forever with this election in Nigeria.
“It is very unusual for the opposition to congratulate the winner of an election and for the winner too to be magnanimous in victory as contained in Mimiko’s reaction to the election,” he said.
He observed that the election went smoothly not because of politics or an inducement of the electorate before they could vote.

The party official, however, urged the re-elected governor to keep to his promise to be humble in victory and address the problems of the state.
He said Mimiko should also as well see to the needs of the people.
In the same vein, the leader of the National Conscience Party in Osun State, Mr. Waheed Lawal, said the result reflected the wishes of the people who re-elected Mimiko.
He, however, advised the governor “to make sure that he delivers the dividends of democracy to the people of the state” in appreciation of their votes.
However, the Director of Research, Information and Strategy, Osun State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria, Mr. Kunle Oyatomi, told NAN that he would not react to the election until he got details of it later.
Source: http://www.punchng.com/ondo-decides-2012/mimikos-victory-reflects-ondo-     peoples-will-osun-pdp/

PDP, others congratulate Mimiko, ACN cries foul

October 22, 2012

Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko; his wife, Oluwakemi and others after the announcement of election results in Ondo ... on Sunday. Government House.
| credits: Government House
President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday congratulated Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State for earning a second term in office through his victory in the governorship election on Saturday.
Mimiko is a member of the Labour Party. He defeated the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Olusola Oke; the Action Congress of Nigeria candidate, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN);  and others.
President of the Senate, David Mark; his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu; and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, also congratulated Mimiko.
While the PDP commended the people of Ondo State for voting Mimiko for a second term in office, the ACN said  it  would  make its position known  after  its post-mortem of the election.
Akeredolu, however, faulted the result of  the election, saying it was not “a reflection of the people’s wish.” Spokesperson for his campaign organisation, Idowu Ajanaku,  on Sunday, said through a text message to our correspondent,  “The election was rigged in conjunction  with security agents. There was no election in Idanre. The election in strongholds of ACN were cancelled.”
Ajanaku said that despite the cancelled areas, ACN’s outing on Saturday was impressive.
 “The good showing of ACN in the election shows we are back in this state for good,” he said.

Congrats galore
The Independent National Electoral Commission’s Returning Officer for the state, Prof. Adebiyi Daramola, officially declared the election result at the INEC Office, Alagbaka, Akure at exactly 1.21pm on Sunday.
According to the final result by INEC, the ruling Labour Party candidate won the election, having polled 260,199 votes. The PDP and ACN candidates scored 155,961 and 143,512 votes respectively.
The ACPN candidate  had 1806 votes; All Nigeria Peoples Party,  1,461; APS, 751;  PNPP, 2949 and the CAP candidate polled 735.
The Congress  for  Progressive Change  candidate scored 1931;  NCP,  823;  NSDP, 1103; PDC, 21,361; and PPA, 1652.
Jonathan, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, also commended Ondo electorate, INEC personnel and security agencies  for ensuring  that the election was peaceful and successful.
The statement reads, “President Jonathan assures Mimiko that the Federal Government will continue to engage constructively and positively with the Ondo State Government in collaborative efforts to achieve faster socio-economic development and better living conditions for people in the state and all other parts of Nigeria.”
In separate congratulatory messages on Sunday, Mark and Tambuwal described the election as free and fair, saying it was democracy at play.

Mark, in his statement, said Mimiko “should be magnanimous in victory and should carry all along. The mandate is a challenge for greater service delivery to the people.”
He expressed satisfaction that Nigerians had come to appreciate democracy through free and fair elections.
Tambuwal, who pledged the cooperation of the House of Representatives to the governor, said Mimiko’s victory was a manifestation of the people’s trust in his leadership abilities.
Urging those who have  grievances to pursue their cases according to the law, he stressed the need for them to accept the result  in good fate and cooperate with the winner in the interest of the people.
Ekweremadu described the re-election of Mimiko as “people’s verdict and democracy in action.” He noted that the Ondo election, in many ways, indicated that the electoral reforms carried out by the 6th National Assembly through constitutional amendment was yielding greater results by the day.
He said, “In the end, it is not just about who won, but about a democratic, violence-free and mature electoral process where the people freely express themselves and realise their will that count above everything else.”
A statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, on Sunday said, “How better do Nigerians say no to the drumbeats of tribalism and political narrowness than what the people of Ondo State  have just done with their votes?
“It is a quantum forward leap for those who understand the dangers of  undue manipulation of national diversity for narrow political whims and a huge set back, utter rejection for the champions of ethnic politics.”
Metuh said though the PDP was not declared the winner of the election, the party was still happy with the performance of its candidate who, he said, joined the race late.
He also  commended INEC and the security agencies for the peaceful conduct of the poll  and urged them to learn from any observed loophole so as to continue improving in future elections.

ACN reacts
But the ACN, in a statement by its National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, said it  was scrutinising the result of the election.
The statement reads, “As a party of democrats, we in the ACN have always known that the choice of who governs has always been that of the people in situations where the electoral process is transparent and credible.
“Therefore, all politicians worthy of their salt must always expect victory or defeat.
“We recognise that it is the sovereign right of the people to decide what kind of government they want. This is the challenge of democracy.
“Our party believes that there was and still is need for change in Ondo State. Thus, our party will study carefully the general details of the result  with a view to taking a final position.
“Our party will continue this post mortem analysis of the lapses in all the institutions involved in the conduct of the Ondo election.”
National Chairman of the Labour Party, Chief Dan Nwanyanwu, said Mimiko’s victory  had established the fact that the LP had done well for the people of Ondo State in the last three-and-half years.

Governors speak
Governors Emmanuel Uduaghan(Delta); Seriake Dickson(Bayelsa);  Peter Obi(Anambra);  and Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara) also congratulated Mimiko for retaining his position.
Uduaghan said Mimiko’s victory was a testimony that free and fair elections were possible in our democracy.
He said, “He (Mimiko) should strive to continue to build on the path of development he started in his first term.”
In a statement, Governor Dickson described Mimiko’s victory’s as a clear reflection of the tremendous support, confidence and goodwill he enjoys from his people”.
Obi, who is the Chairman of the South-East Governors’ Forum as well as the Vice-Chairman of the  Nigeria Governors’ Forum, said, “The victory of Mimiko is yet another testimony that democracy is taking root in our country.  The people have spoken; the best candidate has won.”
Ahmed in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Abdulwahab Oba, described Mimiko’s re-election as a demostration of steady but sustainable growth of Nigeria’s democracy.
He   urged INEC to apply the lessons it learnt from the Ondo State election to deepen ‘its impressive records’ in the conduct of subsequent elections in the country.
Mimiko, who dedicated his victory to all lovers of democracy, described the election as free, fair and highly credible. He said the poll conduct had raised the hope of a better future for the country and urged his fellow contestants to join hands with him in the task of building the state.

Rigging claims
When  contacted  on  the ACN’s allegation of rigging using security forces, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mohammed Ndabawa, said the party should challenge INEC in court on the matter.
Ndabawa, who spoke with one of our correspondents on the telephone, said, “I am a commissioner of police; that is not my problem. They should direct their question to INEC and challenge the result in the court.”
The returning officer in Saturday’s governorship poll, Daramola, said that while 1,638,950 people registered as voters,   624,659 votes were cast.
Giving the analysis of the votes, the returning officer said that 594,244 votes were the total valid votes while 30,415 votes were invalid.
He said, “I, Prof. Adebiyi Daramola certify that I was the returning officer for the Ondo State governorship election. That the election was contested and that the candidates received these result (stated above).
“That Dr. Rahman Olusegun Mimiko, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby certified as the winner and he is hereby returned as the governor.”
The LP candidate won in a total number of 13 local government areas. The PDP, which came second, won in Ilaje and Okitipupa LGAs and the ACN candidate won in Owo, Odigbo and Akoko South  West LGAs.
Earlier, the Collation Officer for Ilaje LGA , Dr. Olayinka Oladele  of the Federal University of Technology, said   the  results from 32 pooling units in  the council were cancelled for various reasons, including mutilation and alterations on result sheets.

Mimiko, was first declared the governor of Ondo State on February 24, 2009 by the Appeal Court in Benin City, Edo State, which was presided over by former President of Court of Appeal, Justice Abdulahi Umar.
Mimiko had contested the April 14 governorship election of 2007 with former Governor Olusegun Agagu of the PDP, but Agagu was declared the winner by the INEC.
But Mimiko headed for the election petition tribunal.  He was declared the lawful winner of the poll which the appeal tribunal also upheld.
Source: http://www.punchng.com/news/pdp-others-congratulate-mimiko-acn-cries-foul/

ANPP chieftain hails Jonathan, INEC over Ondo election

October 22, 2012.
An All Nigeria Peoples Party chieftain in Imo State, Mr. Bernard Lemchi, on Monday described President Goodluck Jonathan as a committed democrat.
Lemchi made the remark in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Port Harcourt, while congratulating Governor Mimiko of Ondo State on his re-election on Saturday.
He lauded the Independent National Electoral Commission for its impartiality in the governorship election.
Lemchi said that Jonathan had proved that he was a man that upheld the rule of law and lover of democracy, by allowing a free and fair election.
According to the ANPP chieftain, Jonathan has delivered his campaign promise by ensuring credible elections in the country.
“Jonathan has done it in Adamawa, Edo and now Ondo; he is an avowed democrat.
“If our past leaders were like him, we would have gone very far in terms of credible elections and democracy,” he said.

Lemchi lauded the Prof. Attahiru Jega-led INEC for conducting a transparent election in Ondo, adding that it had shown a high level of electoral responsibility.
He advocated for a takeover of council elections by INEC, and alleged that election at the third tier was characterised by fraud and electoral stage management.
“I suggest that INEC should take over the conduct of elections at the local government areas. Many governors have abused the process, and it has been the major cause of under-development and suffering of the local communities,” Lemchi said.
He also advised that general elections should not be conducted simultaneously anymore to ensure transparency and credibility in the process.
According to him, the process will help INEC to mobilise enough logistics for particular supervision and monitoring without distractions.
Lemchi, however, congratulated the people of Ondo State for exercising their franchise in favour of a great achiever at a time it mattered most.
Source: http://www.punchng.com/ondo-decides-2012/anpp-chieftain-hails-jonathan-inec-over-ondo-election/