- The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has said that the former governor of Ondo state may join their party
- The SDP said Mimiko is welcomed to the party
- The party said the former governor is a member of a group which may formally adopt SDP
There are indications that the former governor of Ondo state, Olusegun Mimiko, might be decamping from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the SDP.
A chairman of the party, Korode Duyile, while speaking on a radion programme on Monday, March 12, said the former governor may join the party and it would welcome him.
There has been reports that the former governor was making plans to defect from PDP.
Although Duyile did not specifically affirm or decline, he said: “I won’t say yes or no. The truth is that there is a forum of middle belt, south south, southeast and southwest. We call it Southern and Middle Belt forum where we meet. It has been on for quite some time. Governor Mimiko is a member and we have been meeting since he left governorship seat.
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"That group is considering to use the SDP to get their political agenda right. So, to that extent he is a member of that group. The group is yet to formally adopt SDP but members of the group are vocal.
“The leadership of SDP are also leaders of the group. In politics there’s free entry and free exit. You can’t bar someone from entering your party more so, an ex governor. So we don’t drive away anybody here. He is welcome.”
Meanwhile, in a earlier statement, the aides of the former governor said Mimiko did not have plans to leave.
The reports on Mimiko's defection followed the mass decamping of former PDP stalwarts - Jerry Gana, Godsday Orubebe and others to the SDP.
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NAIJ.com earlier reported that the former president Olusegun Obasanjo had made moves to woo some strong members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to SDP.
The APC members including the Senate president, Bukola Saraki, the speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, the governor of Benue state, Samuel Ortom, among many others are expected join the SDP.
The move is said to have sent panic in the camps of the APC and the major opposition party, the PDP.
APC chieftain give reasons why his party could be voted out in 2019 on NAIJ.com TV
Source: Naija.ng