Joseph Bakare
Olusegun Mimiko, former governor of Ondo state on Thursday, declared to run for president of Nigeria on the platform of the Labour party (LP) in 2019, just as the party leadership rejected him, saying they will fight any attempt to usurp its leadership.
Mimiko, who declared his intention at the National Secretariat of the party in Abuja,expressed concern over what he described as wanton killings in the Middle Belt and other parts of the country.
He said that the effect of the current economic reality, unprecedented level of division, distrust at individual and communal levels, were of great concern to him.
Mimiko said ability to envision great ideas and demonstrable track record, rather than place and circumstances of birth should be the most compelling basis for investing candidates with power.
He said:“This is, therefore, not the time to cheapen the dialogue by engaging in argument on whose turn it is to run the country. Rather, it is time to insist that only the best is good for Nigeria.
“It is time to all march out and recall our past, take charge of the present and launch out into greatness as one inclusive and cohesive family,
“There comes a moment in the life of a nation when every patriot must stand up to be counted!.At such a moment, no person worthy of a place in history can afford to remain ensconced in his or her comfort zone.
“ For our country, Nigeria, the moment is now! .The truth, however, is that bad as these times are, they will not pass away if we choose to remain on this same old path.
“I am running for president because I believe that working together, we can restructure and redesign our country in such a way that it would mean for all of us.’’
“We shall frontally attack corruption in all its ramifications by strengthening existing institutions, deploying technological tools and deepening relevant policies on cashless society while proactively leveraging global frameworks for anti-corruption.
He said that as governor of Ondo state for eight years, he restructured the state, empowered youths and transformed the education as well as health sector among others.
Mimiko promised to commit to mobilising the youth of Nigeria for education, providing opportunities for them to be productively engaged and elevating them into leadership, through a careful process of acculturation.
Speaking, Alhaji Abdulkadir Abdulsalam, the factional Chairman of Labour Party, congratulated Mimiko for his declaration.
Abdulsalam said that the party decided to support and give Mimiko nomination form, based on his track record as one time governor of Ondo.