Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
Ondo State Governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, has said that he will not report his predecessor and friend of over 40 years, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) because of political differences.
The state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Donald Ojogo, gave this indication in a statement in response to stories making the rounds on social media that former Governor Mimiko may be arrested by the EFCC for allowing Akeredolu’s Deputy, Agboola Ajayi, to contest the October 10 governorship election on the platform of his political party, Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
But Akeredolu described the rumour as a blatant lie planted to destroy his relationship with Mimiko spanning over 40 years.
He dismissed the widely circulated story as “untrue, puerile and utterly mischievous,” stressing that such story was a cleverly laid path for the two friends to engage in needless mudslinging.
According to him, his friendship with Mimiko remains unaffected by the current political permutations, alignments and realignment.
The commissioner further stated: “Clearly too, the former governor, in Governor Akeredolu’s view, is well acquainted with the antecedents of those who have chosen to embrace any straw, including those they had mindlessly plotted against in the past, to keep their waning political comfort zones afloat.
“Nonetheless, while Governor Akeredolu has nothing against his friend and immediate past predecessor, he has chosen to allow posterity to intercede and interpret the roles of men in whatever form.”