I don’t need my brother’s endorsement to become Ondo governor, says Abbas Mimiko

Abbas Mimiko, younger brother of Segun Mimiko, former governor of Ondo,  says he does not need his brother’s endorsement to win the forthcoming election.

In April, Mimiko, a medical psychiatrist, won the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) ticket for the state’s November 16 gubernatorial election.

Speaking in Akure during an interactive session organised by the state correspondents’ chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mimiko said his brother’s administration would be child’s play compared to what he has in store for the people of the state.

“I don’t want him to give me any endorsement. What I need is the people, the endorsement of the masses and the people of Ondo State. I won’t vote for somebody whose brother is raising his hand saying I became governor, come and vote for my brother! No! I will vote and campaign against such a person,” he said.

“If the brother is capable, he should present his credentials so that we can assess him as an individual. His brother having run an administration, we can then add one extra mark, because the brother did well, believing that perhaps he will do well too.”

Mimiko said the state is not ripe for a rotational gentleman’s agreement, adding that what Ondo needs is competent leadership — irrespective of which part of the state the leader hails from. 

“We need an efficient running system that is productive for the people before talking of rotation. A place where people are already happy with their lives,” he said.

“We have to understand one thing, we are running basically on federal allocation. It’s extremely important that we have a leader who can use what we have to get what we want.

“That’s why I said, if everything was running smoothly, it would be an embarrassment. I personally felt embarrassed the first time I said I wanted to run for governor.

“I’m saying we need quality people. First and foremost, let this system run efficiently. Then if we like, we can make rotation a law. They will say it’s not constitutional. Yes, we can put it into law.

“But we can have a proper agreement within the state that from now on, it’s no more a gentleman’s agreement.”