Mimiko joins 2019 presidential race, says ‘every patriot must stand up to be counted’

Olusegun Mimiko, former governor of Ondo state, has declared his bid to run for president in 2019.

Mimiko said he will contest on the platform of Labour Party (LP).

He made his intention known on Thursday when he visited the party’s secretariat in Abuja.

He said: “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 their comfort zone.

“When the totality of our being, and the very essence of our humanity are in violation, patriots must advance to recapture the present; and commit to re-defining the future. For our country, Nigeria, the moment is now.

“The times are marked by rapid tumbling of our core values. These are times in our country when a decision has become imperative for those we have for too long pretentiously told, ‘the future belongs to you’.

“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. The wanton killings currently enveloping the Middle Belt, and many other parts of the country, can indeed become the lot of the entire country.

“The excruciating economic pains of today can indeed become a mere introduction to what lies in the bosom of time for us all.”

Mimiko, who governed Ondo for eight years, was elected on the platform of Labour Party before he defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He returned to Labour Party in 2018.