Mimiko reveals that he bowed out of presidential battle because it is two-horse race between Buhari and Atiku

FORMER Ondo State governor Dr Olusegun Mimiko has revealed that he dropped his presidential ambition and decided to run for senate because the race for Aso Rock is a straight fight between President Muhammadu Buhari and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

 

Dr Mimiko who governed Ondo State between 2009 and 2017, had been nominated as the Zenith Labour Party's (ZLP) presidential candidate. He had begun campaigning nationwide but this week, he opted to pull out of the race and run as the ZLP senatorial candidate in the Ondo Central Senatorial District.

 

Next February, Nigeria goes to the polls, with President Buhari standing as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate and Alhaji Abubakar standing as the flagbearer of the main opposition the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Although there are expected to be as many as 70 candidates in total, the fight for the presidency is expected to be a tight two-horse race, which is what prompted Dr Mimiko to pull out of the race.

 

Speaking while meeting with his followers from the 18 local government areas of Ondo State as well as some national leaders of the party yesterday, Dr Mimiko said he made the decision in the interest of his people, state and the country. According to Dr Mimiko, he has been inundated with calls from across the state and country to jettison his presidential ambition as it has been narrowed to a race between Alhaji Atiku and President Buhari.

 

Dr Mimiko is, however, yet to disclose the candidate his party would be supporting in the 2019 presidential race. Earlier, the ZLP senatorial candidate for Ondo Central Senatorial District, Gboye Adegbenro had confirmed he was stepping down for Dr Mimiko.

 

One ZLP source, said, however, that he was not happy with the development as the new move by the former governor was only reached after an inner caucus meeting of members of his think-tank. He also frowned at the sudden U-turn of Dr Mimiko, which he described an inconsistency.

 

“Yes, I can tell you that the U-turn has been finalised but it’s quite unfortunate that he could be doing this to Gboye. He has been the one financing the party even when he was with him in Labour Party and Gboye has been a loyal man to Mimiko, serving under him as governor for eight years in various capacities, so Iroko shouldn’t have done this to him," he added.

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