Four governors from the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), have met with a former Minister of Housing and Urban Development who was also a former governor of Ondo  State, Olusegun Mimiko, ahead of his planned defection to the PDP. The governors arrived at the residence of the former governor in Ondo town on Thursday, October 28, 2021.

The names of the visiting PDP governors are Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State; Seyi Makinde of Oyo State; Nyesom Wike of  Rivers state and the Governor of Sokoto State who was also a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal.

It was reported that a former Deputy Governor of the state and gubernatorial candidate of Zenith Labour Party(ZLP) during the 2020 election in the state, Agboola Ajayi, was also present at the residence of Mimiko during the PDP governors’ visit. Also present were three current members of the Ondo State House of Assembly: Festus Akingbaso(PDP), Rasheed Elegbeleye(PDP) and Tomide Akinribido(ZLP), together with former Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Jumoke Akindele.

Other people who were present at the residence of the former governor included the former Chief Judge of the State and deputy governorship candidate of ZLP in the 2020 Ondo State election, Olaseinde Kumuyi; former House of Representatives member, Joseph Akinlaja; Banji Okunomo; Dr Kola Ademujimi; Gboye Adegbenro; John-Paul Akinduro; Eni Akinsola; Andrew Ogunsakin; Bolanle Olafunmiloye; Taye Afilaka; Funmilola Oluwadare; Afolabi Akinsiku; Ayo Fadoju, among others.

It was reported that the meeting of the PDP governors with Mimiko at his residence in Ondo town was a follow-up and an advanced level of talk by the leadership of the party to bring the former Minister of Housing and Urban Development back to PDP. Other leaders of the party had earlier met with Mimiko in Abuja on several occasions in order to woo him back to PDP ahead of the next general elections.

Mimiko, a politician with cult following in Ondo State, was the candidate of the ZLP for Ondo Central Senatorial District in the 2019 election. He was the first two-term governor of Ondo State and the first Lapour Party(LP) governor in Nigeria. He was also a former Secretary to the State Government and a two-time Commissioner for Health in Ondo State.

Born on October 3, 1954, Mimiko was raised in Ondo town in Ondo State. He developed interest in politics at a young age. He began his political career at the medical school of University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University, where he was a member of the Students’ Representative Council.