Ondo 2016: Ijaws reject Jegede, gives Mimiko ultimatum

Some political leaders from the Ijaw speaking area of Ondo state has rejected Hon. John Ola Mafo as deputy governorship candidate

Some political leaders from the Ijaw speaking area of Ondo state given Governor Olusegun Mimiko an ultimatum of 48 hours to withdraw Hon. John Ola Mafo as deputy governorship candidate,

Leadership reports.

In a statement signed by a leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), from Ese-Odo, Hon Sunday Tundigha, has faulted the emergence of Mafo saying it challenged political fairness. They asked for Mafo to be replaced with an indigene of Ese-Odo 

The statement read in parts: ”Our local government is the only Ijaw speaking local government and had delivered over thousand votes for the PDP in the last presidential and National Assembly elections with over ninety percent.

“We were however, surprised that the leadership of the party decided to turn logic on it by giving the deputy governorship slot to a local government without any voting value for the PDP. This is more so that‎ AD’s Olusola Oke is from the same local government. This defies logic and every known political justice. 

”We are therefore giving Governor Olusegun Mimiko and the leadership of the PDP forty eight hours from now,to withdraw Mafo and replace him with an indigene of Ese-Odo. Anything short of this will result to mass defection from the party.”

The angry leaders of the PDP have shown determination to work for the achievement of the All Progressives Congress (APC) , Chief Rotimi Akeredolu. 

He said all their supporters are set to mobilize for Chief Rotimi Akeredolu of the APC before the expiration of the ultimatum because his running mate, Hon. Agboola Ajayi, the ambassadorial nominee, Barrister Sola Iji as well as the senior technical adviser to the minister of state for agriculture, Mr Donald Ojogo are distinguished sons of our local government. 

One of the deputy governorship hopefuls from the local government prior Mafo’s emergence, Chief Pere Ganfo has also warned that the PDP might face dire electoral consequences over the decision it took against Ese-Odo.

“Honestly, since the announcement of Mafo, I have received several complaints from our people who feel short changed, used and dumped. They are unhappy because the party did not deem it needful to consider our current electoral value to the PDP. “It means we are not needed in the party. ‎But as a party man,‎ I have been trying to assuage their feelings trying to calm them but I doubt if I will continue to have such capacity to do that, and you know what that means,” Ganfo said.

Ahead of the forthcoming governorship elections, the Ondo state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday, October 12, forwarded the name of Prince John Ola Mafo to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the running mate of Eyitayo Jegede.