No office-sharing agreement with Mimiko – PDP

 

Mimiko and Alabi

The embattled executive council of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ondo State has reacted to claims by Governor Olusegun Mimiko that no decision was reached on the sharing of positions in the state chapter of the party.

A statement by the Organising Secretary, Ondo PDP, Afolabi Akinbowale, in Akure, on Thursday, said the governor’s claims were untrue as there was a disagreement on the sharing of the positions and further reconciliatory meetings were being expected.

The statement was in response to the assertion by Mimiko that he had made a modest claim on 14 out of the 27 positions in the structure of the party, but that the executive members were unyielding.

He said, “It must be put on record that the Senate President was commissioned to head the reintegration and reconciliation committee for the South-West, therein Ondo State. In furtherance of his assignment, the Senate President called a meeting wherein Dr. Mimiko requested that he be given the chairman, secretary, treasurer, publicity secretary, organising secretary among other state executive positions.

“The negotiation broke down because Mr. Governor was unwilling to shift grounds as PDP leaders agreed that some positions in the state executive be conceded to him. However, the leaders were quick to call the attention of the Senate President to the lopsidedness in the request, therefore, the chairman and the secretary of the party cannot be in the same bundle meant for the governor, rather the two positions be separated in different bundles meant for both groups.

“Also, the leaders from the side of the PDP equally requested for positions in government wherein those relieved of their positions and interested leaders could occupy, which the Senate President agreed to, as a way of forging proper integration.”

Akinbowale added that the governor refused to accept the request, necessitating the intervention of President Goodluck Jonathan and the National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, who gave a directive that Mark should continue with the reintegration and reconciliation and submit the agreement reached to the party for implementation.

He said the leadership of the party in the state was expecting the Senate President’s invitation, and as a result, “no agreement whatsoever has been reached or purported to have been reached.”

Akinbowale noted that Mark was asked to submit a report of the reconciliation for implementation by the National Working Committee, but instead a parallel secretariat has been created where membership cards are being issued to people.

He said his group was prepared to work with Mimiko, but added that “a landlord should not be made a tenant in his house.”