Politics

Mimiko’s defection is to build another structure in APC or party within the party – Chieftain

Our Reporter

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress(APC) in Ondo State, Barrister Lade Ebiwanno, says the defection of political associates of former governor Olusegun Mimiko from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to APC is a “calculated plan to build another structure” within the party in the state.

Ebiwanno in a statement on Thursday in Akure, warned members of the APC in the state to be wary of Mimiko and his associates, whose primary plan is to take over the party’s structure at all levels.

On Wednesday, 29 political associates of the former governor formally dumped PDP for APC during a meeting with Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

Thefrontrank reports that Mimiko decamped from Alliance for Democracy(AD) to PDP in 2003; and in 2007, he joined Labour Party(LP).

Still on political nomadism, Mimiko in 2014, returned to PDP; in 2018 defected to Zenith Labour Party(ZLP), while in 2021, the former governor returned to PDP for the third time.

Reacting to the development, Ebiwanno said: “Olusegun Mimiko is not just coming to APC, he is coming to build another structure or party within the party and for anyone to have a sense of belonging without a modicum of feeling of alienation you must be ready to dance to his tunes giving him operational latitude will place Ondo APC on the verge of extinction.

“It is important to quarantine the new defectors and place them on the watch list because affording them operational latitude may engender disaffection and acrimony among the party loyalists.

“In order, to prevent those people from hijacking the structure and taking over our collective patrimony that we built with hard labour and sweat; it is either we prevent Aiyedatiwa himself and we caution him to desist from mingling with wolves in the sheepfold.

“Ayedatiwa is placing APC on the verge of extinction in Ondo State it is either we leave APC for him and he leaves APC for us.

“The defection of Mimiko will definitely launch war of attrition and cause rancour or irreconcilable skirmish or internal squabble within APC in Ondo State.”