Chieftain Drags Former Ondo Gov To Court Over Return To PDP

By Ayodele Oni

The dust raised by the return of former Governor of Ondo State, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, to the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) is yet to settle. A chieftain of the party has approached the Court over the issue.

Dr Mimiko, who ruled the State for eight years was a member of the Labour Party, (LP) which he dumped, joined the PDP and again left to team up with Zenith Labour Party, (ZLP).

Towards the  end of 2022,  after he hosted some Governor’s at his country home in Ondo, the former Governor announced his plan to return to PDP.

Sources revealed that there have been under current moves by the former Governor to take over the PDP structure in the state, using some Governors and national leadership as his cover.

However on Monday, January 10, a chieftain of the party and Coordinator of People’s Democratic Party Support Group (PSG), Mr Bode Obanla, filed a suit at the State High Court to stop the former Governor from assuming the leadership of the party having dumped the party when members needed him to lead.

Obanla, who had earlier threatened to sue Mimiko if he returned to the PDP, through his counsel, 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.

Aside Mimiko, the suit has as defendants, the National Chairman, Dr Iyochia Ayu, members of the National Working Committee (NWC), State Chairman of the party, Hon Fatai Adams, members of the State Working Committee and the PDP.

In his claim, Obanla 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.”

Consequently, he 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.”

He prayed for “an order of perpetual injunction restraining 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.”

The major grouse of the Obanla is that 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.

According to him, Mimiko won the second tenure on the platform of the LP but towards the end of his second tenure decamped to LP.

He said Mimiko also decamped from PDP in 2017 to ZLP through which he contested the senatorial election in 2019 general elections.

Obanla claimed that Mimiko, who has not contested election under the PDP, cannot rejoin the party and assume the position of a leader of the party.

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.