Ten months to the governorship election in Ondo State, the battle for the soul of the Sunshine State shifted to Ogun State on Thursday.
It was at the 2016 Obafemi Awolowo Birthday Commemorative Symposium held at the Efunyela Hall of Awolowo’s residence in Ikenne-Remo.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed November 26 for the election.
Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State, who fired the first salvo, declared that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would become history after the election in the South-West state.
But his Ondo State counterpart, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, described the statement as wishful thinking.
To him, with the level of work done since he became governor in 2009, APC is just wasting its time if it thinks it can persuade the electorate to vote for its candidate.
El-Rufai was the chairman of the symposium.
He described Ondo as one of the last states being controlled by the PDP, a remark which drew a loud laughter from the audience.
“Your Excellency, the governor of Ondo State, one of the last PDP states that we are going to take over in a few months,” he said.
But in a swift reaction, Mimiko, who was represented by his Commissioner for Adult Education, Remi Olatubora, countered the threat by el-Rufai.
He said the PDP would never fall for the onslaught of the APC, noting that his administration had done creditably well for the state to retain it.
He said: “Mr Chairman, in the introductory part of your speech or goodwill address, you said you are going to take over Ondo State. Let me inform you sir that Ondo State is not going to fall for the APC onslaught. We are going to resist vehemently all attempts at capturing or conquering us because we have done very well for our people.”
















