Group Politics Editor, Taiwo Adisa, chronicles the promises and messages coming out of the campaigns of Dr Olusegun Mimiko in the countdown towards the October 20 gubernatorial election in the Sunshine State.THAT the battle for the Ondo Government House in Alagbaka, Akure, in the October 20, 2012 governorship election will be fierce can only be an understatement. Initially, there were two main contenders, the Labour Party (LP) and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was playing the sleeping giant. But with the renewal of interest in that party and the belief that doing well in the Ondo election could position some chieftains for greater roles in the 2015 election; the sleeping giant got awakened and then you have three giants locking horns in the sun. There is the incumbent Governor Olusegun Mimiko, flying the flag of the LP and then Rotimi Akeredolu of the ACN, while Olusola Oke represents the PDP.Mimiko, fondly called the Iroko, a student and participant in Nigerian politics for about three decades, will apparently not deceive himself that the battle ahead is going to be an easy one. While many believe that ordinarily, his achievements in the last three and a half years should soften the ground for him, political interests have coalesced to colour many of the achievements his administration has trumpeted as people-oriented. Politicians would want the electorate to look the other way even if they have continued to benefit from the policies and programmes of the Iroko administration. Thus, Ondo has become the centre of politics unusual and the inhabitants have had to contend with the baragge of campaigns that thump their streets daily since electioneering campaigns flagged off late August.Mimiko's challenges are truly not about how to convince the electorate to support him and return him to the Government House for a second term; his main challenges have to do with the dynamics of politics. The main opposition ACN has tagged the governor an enemy after his blunt refusal to defect to the party upon his victory at the Court of Appeal in Benin in 2009. Though the evidence of Mimiko promising to switch camp to the ACN upon his victory over the PDP is scanty out there and perhaps non-existent, the ACN, which controls five of the six states of the South-West zone, had taken it for granted that the man would ordinarily join its fold. His refusal to do just that has become a pain in the neck for a party which craves a firm political control of the South-West states as perhaps a ticket to dictate its fortunes.Since he flagged off his campaign on August 30, his message has been consistent to the people: 'We have done so much, let us do more.' Many would say that Mimiko chose to commence his second term campaign at the doorsteps of his challenger, Rotimi Akeredolu of the ACN in Owo, but that did not really matter, or appeared to have been relegated to the background in the face of the achievements reeled out and the promises made during the campaign.Mimiko told the people of Owo that the monumental projects put in place by his administration in all the local government areas in the last three years were a tip of the iceberg.While addressing a rally in Owo, he enumerated the achievements of his administration in the area to include construction of bore holes, a town hall, octors' lodge, health centres at Asolo, Amurin, Sojayan and an ultramodern school equipped with electricity generating set at Odofin Fadimine. According to the governor, the criticisms of the opposition against him were ill-informed and borne out of bad politics. He stated that his administration had executed more than 644 life-changing projects in the last three years.At the palace of the Oloba of Uso, where he was received by the Regent, Princess Adekemi Oladejogun, the governor got commendations for executing several projects in the Owo Communities. The regent showed the love of the people to the governor, while community leaders gave assurances that the people would vote for Mimiko en-masses. The regent said that the community would always be grateful to the governor for assisting it to accomplish an 18-year old dream of having a town hall and for the construction of Doctors' lodge for the accommodation of doctors working in their health centres and hospital. She minced no word in further assuring the governor that the people would vote massively for the Labour Party in the forthcoming election.Other areas visited in Owo included Upemen and Ago Paanu and Ebira communities. At Aba-Paanu Ebira Community, the governor commissioned a town hall project and promised to set up an International Yam market in the community so as to expose the farm produce of the people and boost their economy.At Ile-Oluji, headquarters of Ile-Oluji/OkeIgbo Local Government Area, Governor Mimiko told the people that he was not at a loss as to why his opponents appear desperate to win the state. According to him, the expansionist tendency of leaders of the main opposition party and the desire to annex Ondo State to their 'treasure-throve' are the basic factors driving their desire to capture the state 'at all costs.'He declared to the admiration of the teeming crowd that all electioneering promises he made to the people in 2007 had been fulfilled, as, according to him, there was hardly any community where he had not commissioned one life-changing project or the other. He told the people that if re-elected, he would continue to maintain the connection which his government has established with the people of the state and work towards a greater and better Ondo State.At a mega rally in Ile-Oluji, Mimiko insisted that a particular political party was bent on annexing Ondo to the fledging political empire of its leaders but affirmed that the people of the state are ready to stick with the LP. The governor asked the opposition to perish the thought of ever capturing Ondo adding that besides the fact that the LP will return a resounding victory in the October 20 election, it will also rubbish what he called the arrogant boasts which he said amounts to 'a slur and an affront on a highly sophisticated and enlightened people of Ondo State.'Said Mimiko: 'They did not say I have not performed. In fact, they acknowledged that Ondo State is working. But they said I should come and join their party and we told them that the people had not asked us to join any political party as the Labour Party is doing fine. They then threatened to make the state ungovernable and capture it if we did not join them. But let me warn that they should remember the fate of the boastful in history; God abhors the boastful. They are haughty and want to ride roughshod on our people and add them to their empire. But I can assure them that God will thwart their evil plans and they shall fail.'When his train stopped at Igbara Oke in Ifedore Local Government Area, Governor Mimiko came out frontally against his political opponents, describing them as emergency governorship candidates who were out to pursue selfish agenda. He spoke at length on why he deserved a second term in office, insisting that his administration had banished the spirit of abiku (ogbanje) from the state through the Abiye hospital project.His words: 'We are in government for the people and to ensure that the lives of our people are the better for it. Any government which does not do anything about children and mothers' health is not a good government. Cases of children dying were rampant in the past because of inadequate health care services. But in Ondo State today, there are no more kokumos (ogbanje) in Ondo State. Thus, when we got to office, we started Abiye (Safe motherhood) Programme here in Ifedore. And in three years, Nigeria and the whole world have seen what we are doing. Today, our Mother and Child Hospital model is not only the best in Nigeria but a template for Africa and from the whole world, accolades have come.'A child who went to school up till secondary school level without having seen a computer is lost and cannot compete with his peer elsewhere. That is why we are building mega primary schools with all facilities: computers, health centre, agric farm, music room, standard sport fields, Art room, among others. So, those who said we should not establish mega schools are not only selfish but are your enemies because they did not send their children to public primary schools, but they don't want the children of the poor to go to the kind of schools theirs went to.'That is why they said we should not build mega schools and that we should continue with the kind of hovels and poultry type of primary schools they built and called schools in this 21st century. That is how unenlightened they are. But in our own case, we have mega enlightenment and we shall continue to build more mega schools, more mega water, more mega hospitals, more mega markets.'They said our modern markets are mere waste of money, that our mothers are not entitled to them and that we should stop ibuilding them and allow the women to trade in shacks. Indeed, they promised to scrap these markets, forgetting the fact that most of them were sent to schools from money made from the markets. Because they are big men and women now, our mothers are no longer important to them. Please, don't vote for them because they are selfish and do not want your progress.'Those who were in office for six years and who for those six years were busy writing a roadmap to nowhere, now want to come again to start writing another thesis. When we are re-elected again, we shall build a library for them to start doing what they know best; writing endlessly, while we shall be busy with good governance,'' he said.It was clear that the governor was set to answer most of the questions his opponents have raised in recent weeks. He declared that in view of their submissions in recent times, his opponents came around as ill-prepared candidates, who he said would, at best, retard the progress he had attained for the state. He said that he was seeking re-election on the basis of his achievements in the first term.He further said: 'I have said it that anybody who wants to be governor must be fully prepared for it and with a clear- cut vision of how to make the people happy and better, not that some failed politicians who have failed in all ramification or those who were not registered in Ondo state as a voter but suddenly being propped to be one, should come and lead our state into abject poverty and neo-colonisation.'We are not prepared for an emergency governor in Ondo State. Only a governor who has pedigree, one who is fully prepared, will be governor in Ondo State. I am not an emergency governor and am also not a District Officer, you, the people, elected me and only you will re-elect me again.'We are saying without any iota of doubt that in any department of government, in rural development, education, agriculture, infrastructural development, industry, name it ' we have worked for you. ''We are running again for governorship on the basis of our record and let me assure you that I am still psychologically, physically, mentally and spiritually ready to be your governor. With your vote, I will continue to work for you and together, we shall lift our state higher.'The campaign tours also took the governor to Okitipupa Local Government Area as well as parts of Akoko in the northern part of the state.When his campaign trained reached Oka-Akoko, Mimiko commissioned some completed projects, including an ultra modern market of 264 open stores and 92 lock up shops and the Oka ' Akoko, health centers at Akowonjo, Igbo Egun and Iwaro Oka, where he also commissioned a town hall. The governor said that his administration had executed over 50 projects in Akoko area in the area in the last three and a half years, adding that the area would soon enjoy the presence of mega schools of his administration. He also gave out cheques worth N16 million as micro credit loans to the various market women's associations in the area besides the distribution of 21 Nissan cars as part of the empowerment scheme.At Okitipupa Local Government Area, the governor commissioned the Igbotako General Hospital rebuilt by his administration as well as other projects, including police stations at Ode-Aye and Ikoya, a modern market at Ode-Aye, and the Erekiti Town Hall. The governor also distributed the sum of N2 million to various market women groups under the micro credit loan programme initiated by his administration. During another whistle-stop tour of Ijebu -Owo and Ipele, Governor Mimiko equally commissioned projects and defended his administration's penchant for executing mainly projects that affected the lot of women and children. He said he would continue to build markets and approve credit schemes to rural women because a number of today's leaders were raised through the toils of their mothers.'Our women are the cornerstones of our development, we are aware of their pivotal roles and the great impact they make on the society; their roles in home building and contributions to the upbringing of our children.'If we help them, we are helping ourselves; we are helping our state and our country. Because most of them are practically the bread winners of their families, their efforts in ensuring that food are on the table for their families, that their children school fees are paid, are unquantifiable. You, our mothers, are nation builders because from those little stalls where you trade, you do all these. So, we will not only build more markets for you but we will give you soft loans to trade with so that you can continue to assist our society.'At Ipele town, Mimiko particularly addressed students of the state, whom he asked to turn out en-masse to defend their future. According to him, the LP had assured the students of their future by retaining tuition in the tertiary schools at N25, 000, while many of the South-West states had raised tuition to as much as N250,000.'Our students, this struggle is also yours because if you do your analysis, you will find out that your stake is in the LP. In all our tertiary institutions, you pay between N25, 000 and N30, 000. In Osun State, for example, you know how much your counterparts pay. So, this is your own struggle too; you must choose between continuing to pay N25, 000 or N250, 000. The choice is yours so you must come out and vote massively for us,'' he said.Mimiko's critics truly have not accused him of non-performance. Rather, they have described his achievements as 'tokenism.' His supporters are however happy than no one can deny the reality and that the people of Ondo who enjoy the benefits of the projects cannot deny their existence. Their contention is that with about 700 life-enhancing projects in three years, the testimony is obvious and that if Mimiko is given another term in office, he would do more.
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