The closest hint was to say God will choose his successor. That was in February. Almost two months after, Ondo State governor, Olusegun Mimiko, is at sea as to who his successor should be. The governorship poll holds on November 26. He is in his second tenure which ends on February 23, 2017.
Investigations revealed that the governor is still seeking for the most suitable out of his aides. That, it was learnt, is why most of the contestants who have indicated interests are members of his cabinet. The governor, according to investigations, has asked those of them closest to him to throw their hats into the contest.
Some of those in the race from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) include: Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Eyitayo Jegede; Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Bamiduro Dada, his Ministry of Environment counterpart, Chief Sola Ebisemi and former Director General of the National Sports Commission(NSC), Gbenga Elegbeleye.
There is also the former Presidential Adviser on Niger Delta, Kingsley Kuku whose ambition has however suffered serious setbacks following his troubles with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Kuku, whose structure was well-oiled, has since faded into oblivion since he left for the United States of America purportedly for medical attention.
There are reports that a Public Relations consultant, Tokunbo Modupe, who is extremely close to Mimiko is also in the race.
For sure, Mimiko, like every other governor, is keenly interested in installing his successor. He is however in serious dilemma as to who to support to win the contest. His biggest concern is the All Progressives Congress (APC), which appears to have ceded the slot to Ondo North.
Should the opposition party carry through this strategy, it will constitute a big challenge to the PDP’s run for the Alagbaka Government House. This is because most of its candidates are from Ondo Central and South. The APC however parades a galaxy of prominent contestants from Ondo North with the hope of playing on the agitation for power shift to ride to the governorship seat.
Sources say Mimiko is very disposed to Jegede succeeding him. Jegede is one of the longest serving cabinet members, having been a commissioner since 2009. The Akure-born lawyer is close to the governor. He is hugely popular in Akure and is riding on the sentiment that Akure is the only zone from the Old division yet to produce a governor.
But he is from the same senatorial zone with Mimiko. The governor is wondering if voters will accept someone from the same zone after his eight-year reign.
Ebiseni is from the Ondo South. The lawyer was a former chairman of the old Ilaje/Ese-Odo Local Government Area. The Commissioner for Environment, Ebiseni commands tremendous influence among political stakeholders in the state.
A grassroots politician with a deep knowledge of the politics of the state, Ebiseni also has the financial wherewithal to run the race. But the agitation for power shift does not favour him.
Modupe is chairman of TPT International. But the close pal of Mimiko is mostly in Akure these days reportedly to fine tune strategies on his governorship ambition. He has also taken up a chieftaincy title in addition to building a palatial mansion on a six-acre in Akure for more space on political meetings.
The Owo-born is favoured by power shift agitation. But he will be a hard sell to politicians in the state because he has never been a party man. Sources close to Mimiko say he is bidding his time to see where the APC will move to know which of his preferred candidates to finally unveil for the contest. (Ripples Nigeria)