As the people of Ondo State prepare to elect a new governor on November 26, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state has accused Governor Olusegun Mimiko of plotting to cause mayhem.
The Ondo State chapter of APC through the Publicity Secretary, Mr Abayomi Adesanya, made the allegation in a statement in Akure on Sunday.
“We have been reliably informed of the intense mobilisation of thugs and militants, running into thousands, by the Executive Governor of Ondo State, Dr Olusegun Mimiko,’’ Adesanya said.
He alleged that the governor intended to use the recruits to ‘’protest and unleash terror on the good people of the state from Monday, Oct. 31, in Akure, Ondo, Akoko areas and Owo, Ore and Okitipupa.
He alleged that Mimiko on Saturday started disbursing money to mobilise militants and hoodlums from Delta and Edo states as well as a faction of Oodua People’s Congress from Ekiti and Lagos states.
He appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to direct the security agencies to beef-up security in and around Ondo State till the governorship election was concluded.
Adesanya said that the people of the state were desirous of peace, which should not be disrupted by the few self-seeking individuals for political gains.
Reacting to the allegation, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr Eni Akinsola, described the allegation as baseless.
“This is a baseless allegation. In the last seven and a half years of Governor Olusegun Mimiko’s administration, we have no history of violence.
The people of Ondo State are capable of defending themselves and protecting their territory.
“We have the history of defending our votes and we do not have the history of depending on external forces and this will not be an exception,” Akinsola said.
The state has been under tension since the announcement of Mr Ibrahim Jimoh as the PDP candidate for the election.
Mimiko said on Friday that he had briefed the president of the danger in the decision by INEC and appealed to the people to remain calm.
