The Licentiousness of Mimiko Defection, and Mark recognition of the defecting senators
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THE LICENTIOUSNESS OF MIMIKO DEFECTION By Professor Femi Ajayi |
onsidering the deceitful political rough road in Nigeria, the latest defection of Dr. Rahaman Olusegun Mimiko from LP to the PDP should not come as a surprise to those who follow the fickle Nigeria political landscape. In a civilized environment, Mimiko’s defection would be seen, as an ingratitude prodigal son in search of his apathetic daily bread. A school might see his move as unappreciative of the only party that offered him Governorship platform when PDP left him frozen.
Mimiko was accorded the name ‘Iroko’ as he was the only South West governor who came to office on the platform of a different political party from the APC, that once dominated the region; until late, with the author of ‘Stomach Infrastructure’, Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State.
We recognize his chronological efforts to accomplish his political goals from the days of late Governor Adefarati as the Commissioner of Health when he succeeded in causing hostility in the then ruling Alliance for Democracy (AD). Mimiko Chameleon stylish politics should not be unanticipated as he resigned from Chief Adebayo Adefarati-led government in 1999 to contest for Ondo State Governor under Alliance for Democracy (AD). At his loss then, he joined PDP and became the State PDP Secretary in 2003, under which he was appointed, by Obasanjo, as the Minister of Housing and Urban Development in 2007. He left PDP to join the race for the Governorship race against Dr. Olusegun Agagu on the platform of Labor Party. He got his mandate in the court room, believing that he would decamp to ACN now APC.
Mimiko rode on the financial Horse back of APC into the Ondo State Governorship mansion. We praised Mimiko then for not defecting to APC after winning the mandate. Second term was another contesting impasse for APC as it pitched a candidate against Mimiko LP. Despite the pressure, Mimiko still maintained his principles. Little did his followers realize that Mimiko’s romance with PDP was plutonic?
My good friend at Awojobi Clinic Eruwa, Oyo State, Eruwa Clinic, Dr. Oluyombo A. Awojobi, who has cut a niche for himself in the field of rural surgery, with over 5,000 herrniorrhaphies and over a thousand lumpectomies surgeries, would be laughing from his teeth to his ears now, re-emphasizing that the current average Nigerian Politician Leopard color would never change.
The Chameleon average Nigerian politician would make contradictory statements that came to them in a dream. Mimiko stated on September 10, 2014 that he would “…be in Akure on October 4 when we will host the 3rd National convention of our party {LP}.”
Prophetically, Mimiko defected on October 2, 2014, before the LP Convention in Ondo State. At a well attended event held at the State House, in Abuja, Mimiko read a prepared speech of his return to PDP alongside members of the House of Assembly, Federal lawmakers from the state and members of the State Executive Council and some LP state executive members.
He declared, “It is in the light of the foregoing that I, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, following extensive consultations across the land, today formally announce the decision of members of National Assembly from the LP in Ondo State, members of the LP in the Ondo State House of Assembly, members of the State Executive Council and indeed all those who share our aspirations, to join the PDP.”
Previously PDP had denied Mimiko a governorship ticket in 2007, and reduced him to a political urchin. He defected from the PDP to Labor Party when late Olusegun Agagu prevailed over his nomination to carry PDP flag. That was the time when his former boss, Olusegun Obasanjo, publicly called him ‘ole’, thief, at Mimiko’s backyard. Returning to PDP was like returning from Sabbatical with LP.
The political trend in Nigeria today, (October 2014) is that an average Nigerian Politician would easily realign with any political party that addresses his or her egotistical principles, like butterfly jumping from one flower to another, an unripe modern democracy player. Shifting goal post to the direction of the ball has become the inkling of an average Nigerian politician. In a decent society, we expect Mimiko to relinquish the LP mandate and go his prodigal approaches in his quest for political relevance.
Mimiko’s defection is like someone dumping his wife after 50 years of marriage under the pretence of being a witch; while the marriage has been blessed with successful children who are Executives, Presidents of some companies. He would have completed his term and go his way, so that he would still be commanding the respect some people have for him.
Mimiko’s move goes with what Abraham Lincoln statement that, “If you forfeit the confidence of your fellow men, you cannot regain their respect and esteem. It is true that you can fool some of the people all the time; you can even fool all the people some of the time but you cannot fool all the people all the time”!
Mimiko defection has confirmed that in politics, there are no permanent friends or allies, they only have permanent interests. No eternal allies and no perpetual enemies. Their interests are eternal and perpetual and these interests are their duty to follow. An average Nigerian Politician follow that to the letters as Nigeria political landscape, without mentioning names, has been littered with defections and political parties cross-carpeting.
Another school would agree that Mimiko, who is the chief Architect of the Labor Party in Nigeria, ought to have remained in the LP to complete his second term. Definitely, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, who is free to join any political party of his choice, won two tough elections that granted him the position of the top executive of Edo State; should have had the serene to complete his term before redirecting the thinking of his followers as a successful Governor.
Possibly Mimiko refused to carry out his tendered principles for him to merge with PDP instead of defecting. It creates some concerns for some Nigerians. Possibly Mimiko could have used the style of APGA, always on the side of PDP, however still maintains its principles and foundation. However, after serving his two terms under APGA, as a free man, Peter Obi, the former governor of Anambra State and one time Chairman of the APGA’s Board of Trustees, completed the mandate given him by APGA, resolved to be strongly involve in President Goodluck Jonathan’s 2015 re-election bid, he joined PDP.
We racketed when Amaechi defected to APC from PDP which was beyond the power of Senator Mark. The combination of that with the issue with the paltry Governors Forum with very self serving foundation that erupted to what we know today as the coup within the PDP from the very keen foundation when the Army would kick against their superiors as erupted within PDP ranks.
Where is Senator David Mark moral justification for accepting the defecting LP Senators while he crippled the mass defection of some PDP to APC at the Senate Chambers earlier 2014? When a couple of Senators from PDP defected to APC, the Senate President blocked them in fulfilling their Machiavellian defection at the Senate floor. Regardless what informed their thinking faculty then; they followed the sketchy political development in the devious political game in Nigeria. The joker then was that, Mark could loose his seat as the Senate President, as their defection would put PDP at the Minority slot.
Definitely, with the low mentality of an average Nigerian politician it could have turned the whole political game upside-down to the side of the other immediate political party with massive defection from PDP. Hence the script to block the chances of Jonathan second term could have been successfully implemented by the Northern group.
Would Mark hide under the pretence that the Governors are not under his purview, hence Mimiko could do whatever he pleases for the liquefied Governors Forum.
What interested some Nigerians was the key role Mark played in Mimiko defection ceremony. There is nothing wrong for political alignments at a point in someone political history. The concern now is how David Mark would handle the two Senators from Ondo State that defected alongside Mimiko when they get to the floor of the Senate. Would he be hiding on the premise of time factor, as they would be facing their constituencies early 2015, working on the Constitution amendments, would prevent him from addressing the issue as he has mandated the Senate to pass the 2015 Budget soonest, which could occupy their, as busy as the bee, schedule.
Definitely, Mark ought to take the same position he took when the defectors were blocked from moving to APC. Since Mark could prove innocence with the Governorship slot, he ought to have prevailed on the LP Senators defection into PDP to relinquish their posts and go back to their constituencies for proper, adequate route, to the Senate Chambers.
Ironically, Nigeria has not been fortunate to have a single Nigerian politician that stands out in the Nigeria political scenery, not even at the international political landscape. They are in the same boat, birds of the same feather, which always flock together. The unknown Iroko has joined the league of an average Nigerian politician that is full of impetuosity, palpably spiteful, voracious, egocentric, heartless, deceitful, and full of immoral behaviors.
Unfortunately, Nigeria politics of expediency handled in an unpatriotic manner, is posing more challenges to an average patriotic Nigerian Youth, how to rescue the country from the quack sham Nigerian politicians.
What an ascetic, bleak Country where flies feast on the cadaver of Lord Lugard’s corn-beef!
