From James Ogunnaike, Abeokuta
The Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko has described the administration of Senator Ibikunle Amosun in Ogun state as an elite government, saying all programmes and policies of the government are not people oriented.
Governor Mimiko stated this while addressing thousands of supporters of Labour Party (LP) who gathered to witness the commissioning of the party secretariat located along Onikolobo Road in Abeokuta, the state capital.
He said though urban renewal is good because when the cities are renewed, it attracts businesses, and the whole essence of attracting businesses is to improve on the socio-economic lives of the people of the state, he however pointed out that this should not affect the means of livelihood of the people.
“But if the concept of urban renewal is to destroy the means of the livelihood of the people, you destroy their generational heritage, then that renewal is not worth it. Urban renewal must not be at the expense of the masses. It is very good to renew our cities,” he said.
He criticized the APC for allegedly introducing unfriendly policies and programmes in the South West, saying the Labour Party was determined to wrest power from it in 2015.
Mimiko, who noted that he was in Ogun State to reassure all LP loyalists that the crisis rocking the state chapter of the party has been resolved insisting that the party in the state is “one indivisible entity”.
He said all members of the party have agreed to work in harmony to unseat the APC government in the state and as well ensure the return of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015.
Also speaking at the ceremony, the National Chairman of the Party, Dan Nwanyanwu, said President Jonathan is the most troubled leader the nation has ever produced and called on all Nigerians to pray for him, saying “he has lost so much weight over Nigeria lately.”
He lamented that he is shedding “much weight over security” challenges plaguing the nation.
Nwanyanwu said while all past leaders with all their respective shortcomings enjoyed relative peace while in office, the experience of Jonathan has been quite different with the insurgence of Boko Haram.
“Alhaji Shehu Shagari had peace; Chief Olusegun Obasanjo with all his troubles had peace; Umaru Yar’Adua had peace though he was ill. But President Jonathan has had no peace from inception. He has lost weight thinking about Nigeria. I urge you to pray for him.”
On his part, the immediate past governor of the state, Otunba Gbenga Daniel who is the state leader of LP, pledged that if the party wins the governorship election in Ogun State in 2015, all workers sacked by Amosun would be reinstated.
The former governor with his presence and active involvement in the activities at the rally showed that he had finally dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Labour Party (LP)
Daniel said his new party will displace the present All Progressives Congress, APC, administration in Ogun come 2015, disclosing that he said he joined the party because it is labour friendly.
Daniel, however, declared that the Ogun Labour Party, under his leadership, would work for the return of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015; while all hands would be on deck to take over Ogun State from the ruling APC.
“This is the first time that I’m appearing in political environment since 2011. I want to tell you today that Labour Party is the right party. I want to publicly tell you today that we have given birth to a reliable baby today,” he said.
