- Party disowns claimant, says court action a rude shock
The immediate former governor of Ondo State, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, has been dragged to court by an aggrieved chieftain of the party in the state and Coordinator of People’s Democratic Party Support Group (PSG), Mr Bode Obanla, who asked the court to bar the ex-governor from assuming the leadership of the party, which he allegedly dumped when members needed him to lead.
Other defendants in the suit apart from Mimiko, are the party’s National Chairman, Dr Iyochia Ayu; members of its National Working Committee (NWC); State Chairman of the party, Hon Fatai Adams; members of the State Working Committee and the PDP.
Mimiko, the former leader of Zenith Labour Party, ZLP, had rejoined the PDP after four of its governors visited his Ondo City home to woo him back to the party ahead of the 2023 elections.
Obanla through his counsels, Messrs Kalu Kalu Agu and Oladimeji Oyesusi sought a declaration that Mimiko by virtue of Chapter two Article 17 of the Constitution of the PDP as amended, is an ordinary member of the party.
In his claim before the court, the plaintiff sought for “a declaration that Mimiko is not entitled to be accorded the seniority and privileges attendant to his status as a former Governor in his membership of Ward Executive Committee, Local Government Executive Committee, State Executive Committee and the National Caucus in that he was not a Governor produced by the PDP not having won any Governorship Election under the party.”
He, therefore, sought for an “order of perpetual injunction restraining Mimiko from holding out himself or parading himself as a member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the PDP as established in chapter four article 13 (1) and 31(1) (w) of the constitution of the PDP.”
Obanla, equally prayed for “an order of perpetual injunction restraining the Dr Ayu, NWC and Adams from granting the Mimiko the seniority and privileges attendant to the status of a former Governor produced by the PDP, as provided in the Constitution of the PDP and in particular from being a member of the National Executive Committee of the party established in Chapter 4 Article 13 of the Constitution of the party.”
He said: “Mimiko on December 8, 2006, abandoned his post as Minister for Housing, Lands and Urban Development in the Government of President Olusegun Obasanjo, resigned from the PDP and decamped to Labour Party (LP), upon which he contested for the Governorship seat of the State and won.
“Mimiko won the second tenure on the platform of the LP but towards the end of his second tenure decamped to LP.” He further stated that Mimiko also decamped from PDP in 2017 to ZLP through which he contested the senatorial election in the 2019 general elections.
Besides, the claimant said that the former governor who has not contested election under the PDP cannot rejoin the party and assume the position of a leader in the party.
The court is yet to fix a date for the hearing of the suit.
Meanwhile the state’s chapter of the party has disowned Obanla describing the suit against the ex-governor as “a rude shock.”
In a statement by the party’s spokesman in the state, Mr Kennedy Ikantu Peretei, and titled: “Corurt Case Against Mimiko: Ondo PDP Disowns Obanla,” the party said: “The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Ondo State Chapter received the purported court action instituted against Dr. Olusegun Mimiko by Bode Obanla as a rude shock.
“Dr. Mimiko, a two term Governor of Ondo State is not only a senior citizen in Ondo State but Nigeria at large. His return to the PDP was orchestrated by four Governors elected on the platform of our great party PDP under the leadership of Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, Governor of Sokoto State and Chairman, PDP Governors’ Forum.
“The State Working Committee wishes to state unequivocally that, the action of Bode Obanla is a great embarrassment to the party and necessary actions will be taken in due course.
“At a time when all hands are on deck to rescue and rebuild Ondo State and Nigeria, Obanla’s action is a mere distraction that should be treated as such.”
