Ondo; “After All I Did For My People, They Allowed Mimiko To Throw Me Out”, Laments Senator Akinyelure

By Ayodele Oni

The Primary Elections of the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) in Ondo state has been won and lost with some of the losers apportioning blames and pointing accusing fingers at some party leaders in the state.

The Senator representing Ondo Central Senatorial District in the red chamber, Ayo Akinyelure, was among those that lost the primary election. He was defeated by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Ife Adedipe from Akure.

Akinyelure got to the Senate when he defeated his co- contestants in 2019 among whom was a former Governor of the state, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, who contested then on the ticket of Zenith Labour Party, (ZLP).

There is no doubt that Akinyelure has performed well since he got to the Senate. He is one of the Senators whose voices are heard everytime as the Chairman of the House committee on public petitions.

Aside this, he has not distanced himself from his Constituency as he is always around to have the feel of his people.

But Mimiko was waiting to take a pound of flesh from the man that roundly defeated him last time.

He got his tool, using the Senior Advocate from Akure, who he backed with support from his political allies at the Central Senatorial District and waited patiently for the PDP primary election to sting.

Ondo Central is made up of six Local Governments of Akure North and South, Ifedore, Idanre, Ondo East and West.

Senator Akinyelure, knew where the defeat came from going by his comments after the election.

Reacting to the outcome of the primary election, Akinyelure expressed regret that despite all he did to help the people of Ondo central Senatorial District, the delegates paid him back with an instruction from Mimiko that he should be voted out.

“As a ranking Senator and with all I have done for them in Ondo Central Senatorial District, the three ad-hoc delegates that favours Olusegun Mimiko, they gave instructions for them to vote me out.I am happy for this but I know my God will never fail.

“I know what I am talking about. We have six local governments in the central, by the grace of God I am still a sitting Senator.

“The election was so transparent, but I know that with the volume of what I have done for Ondo Central Senatorial District, I did not expect to be paid this way. But I have a destiny that nobody can stop.”

Former Governor Mimiko has his strength in the two Local Governments of Ondo East and West and he used this to work against the sitting senator. Before the primary, the senator was reported to have gone to the extent of giving out cars to top PDP leaders in the two Local Councils but still, they could not deliver.

Dr Mimiko returned to the PDP last year with some of his loyalists including former deputy governor of the state, Mr Agboola Ajayi and Gboye Adegbenro. Both contested for the Governorship of the state on the ticket of ZLP, former Mimiko’s party.

Since his return, it has been a case of suspicion and some members accuse him of trying to hijack the machinery of the party in the state. A member even went to Court to challenge his return to PDP.

It is not only in Ondo Central that Mimiko deposed a sitting Senator, he equally sent packing the Senator representing Ondo south, who happens to be one of his former commissioners, Nicholas Tofowomo. He was defeated by the former Deputy Governor, Agboola Ajayi. He once had a brief stay in PDP when he resigned as deputy governor. He contested for the Governorship primary, which he lost to Eyitayo Jegede and left to pick the ticket of ZLP.

Ajayi rejoined the PDP after the Governorship election and won the Senatorial ticket for Ondo South. Political observers in the state believe that with these victories being ascribed to Mimiko, and that if can continue with the feat during next year’s general election and deliver the state to the PDP, he would have reclaimed his number one position in the party.