Several mediators appealed to him to leave Governor Olusegun Mimiko alone, that he was too popular in Ondo State to be dislodged, that Ondo politics was kind of unique, and that a Mimiko victory might dent his political stature and expose his vulnerabilities. But the National Leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, insisted that he would teach Mimiko a lesson by capturing Ondo from him, if he did not join the Action Congress of Nigeria, which Mimiko insisted he would not do.

But after all the hype, after all the negative propaganda, and after leading many campaign rallies to various parts of Ondo State, Tinubu and his ACN were roundly and unapologetically rejected by the people along with his anointed candidate for the October 20, 2012, governorship election, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN.

The rejection was emphasised by two symbolic acts. First, of the three major contenders, the ACN came last with 143,152 votes; the People Democratic Party came second with 155,961 votes, while the Labour Party won convincingly with 260,199 votes. Second, and more importantly, Akeredolu lost his own ward and polling unit to Mimiko, even as the ACN candidate sat tight in the ward during the polls. A politician’s standing is in serious doubt when his neighbours look him or her in the eye and vote for an opponent.

There was hardly anything ACN party leaders did not do to win. Several ACN governors were brought to the campaign rallies. Thugs were allegedly imported. Crowds were allegedly rented. Voters were allegedly bribed. Even voter cards were reportedly obtained or purchased from some Ondo citizens. Moreover, plenty of negative propaganda was employed.

Lagosians were fed with false information about Mimiko and Ondo State, based partly on manufactured lies and partly on data obtained from a few turncoats in the LP, who were ready to tell the ACN leadership whatever it wanted to hear.

There are interesting lessons to learn from ACN’s failed attempt to “capture” Ondo. To start with, the whole project was like the proverbial house built with saliva, which quickly unravelled under the morning dew. Not only was the project’s advertised foundation false, its execution was faulty. The tactics employed during the campaigns changed as the reasons for the Capture Ondo State project.

Regional integration was the original advertised agenda. It was argued that political unification of the Yoruba states under the ACN was critical to the integration project. But the integration project began to fizzle out as unification under one party became its focus. Although the integration project later came up in the governorship debates, many Ondo citizens had come to view it as an empire-building venture for the ACN leadership. Thus, ACN’s use of regional integration as a political tool came to undermine its possible merit to which Mimiko himself subscribes, namely, the need to develop a template for shared development projects that would leverage on the geographical contiguity of Yoruba states and their resources.

The focus shifted to a campaign of calumny. A typical negative propaganda was provided in a lecture purportedly given to Ondo citizens in Los Angeles by one Banji Alabi, a Lagos-based lawyer. He falsely stated that Ondo “has fallen on spells of under-development, under-performance and mismanagement due to mediocre and unimaginative leadership” (The Guardian, October 5, 2012). Alabi spoke on behalf of Ondo citizens “resident in Lagos” and not on behalf of the World Bank, the Governors’ Forum, the Minister of State for Education, and a cross-section of citizens resident in Ondo State, who have applauded Mimiko for his remarkable achievements in various sectors.

Unfortunately, falsehoods such as Alabi’s formed the theme of Akeredolu’s campaign. This was particularly evident in the governorship debates during which Akeredolu was either raising false allegations or spinning spurious figures. The calculation was that some Ondo voters might be convinced if enough falsehoods and distortions were spread around.

This was taken a step further in the final days of the campaign when Tinubu himself denigrated Mimiko at a campaign rally in Akure by calling him a “beggar” and a “traitor”, who “came to me and begged me to support him, rolling on the ground … I spent millions of pounds sterling but he betrayed me … (he is) a serial traitor”. We have now come full circle from “integration” through “underachievement” to personal vendetta.

But Tinubu did not say that some of his nominees were hired when Mimiko formed his government. He also did not talk about the pressure he put on Mimiko within the last one year to join the ACN. Why, you would wonder, would he want a traitor to join his party?

It is clear that Tinubu might have assisted Mimiko in his mandate fight in 2007 on the expectation that Mimiko would become one of his subject governors by crossing over to the ACN. The matter was moot for some time. However, as ACN’s fortunes spread across the South-West after the 2011 elections, Tinubu renewed his overtures to Mimiko to join the ACN, apparently in his bid to control the entire geopolitical zone.

Be that as it may, Tinubu’s Akure traitor pitch did not go down well with Ondo voters, who quickly viewed it as a replay of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s traitor stump about Mimiko in Akure in 2007. Both attempts to put down Mimiko before his people fired up his supporters.

There are two hidden transcripts in all of this. First, Tinubu truly desires to include Ondo on the ACN map. It would be simplistic, however, to conclude that the desire was limited to political control. There is also an economic dimension–Ondo’s oil revenue is an object of desire. That’s why informed Ondo voters objected to the external control of their state and its resources.

Second, Tinubu truly believed that his party would win the Ondo governorship. However, so many mistakes were made along the way, from candidate imposition to excessive negative campaign, which gave little room for policy discussion. Above all, the traditional strategy of rigging elections was thwarted by extra-ordinary security, efficient INEC personnel, vigilant polling agents, and an electorate determined to make their votes count.

It is ironical that a self-styled “party of democrats” is the only one among 12 political parties that still refused to fully accept the results of an election universally acknowledged as free, fair, and peaceful. This says something about the ACN leadership. Either the party leaders are not getting proper advice or they think they know it all. Above all, they seem to lack self-criticism. The reckless pursuit of the “Take over Ondo” project was a clear demonstration of these deficiencies


http://www.punchng.com/viewpoint/jagaban-returns-to-lagos-empty-handed/

Hmmmm...cudn't read all, but all thesame pdp, ACN lost and LP party won. Its ok!

we don hear.

Yes,Jangaba got his nose bloodied.

Tell them,negative propaganda and greed don't win elections.

I see why many are losers in real life. So if you think you'd lose an election, you wouldn't even bother to contest it. SMH

I hate to say this but, the unbridled
greed Tinubu has exhibited in recent
times for the conquest of the South
West and his goal of becoming the
Yoruba states' focal point is rather
annoying and unjustified. He should
stop riding on the June 12/
progressive's momentum which he is
soiling with his current in-actions. I
am certain that as soon as Tinubu
finds a good way of withdrawing to
the background unnoticed from this
everlasting disgrace, we will hear less
from Akeredolose . How can a democrat
say he spent millions of Pounds on
winning an election, INEC should try him
for that statement and even EFCC should
pick him up; even lawless PDP in their
most reckless way and days would not
have made this mistake to plan on
thwarting the popular submission in a
manner so brigand as this. I wsuggest
that all ACN governors should do same
and retain their autonomy just like
Mimiko 'IROKO', which incidentally is a
significant name just did against the
Jaguda of Lagos .

Question 1: For the first time in the history of Ondo state, a governor has been reelected for a second term. Which of these Bola Tinubu allied Political Action Committees (PAC) lost in the election that has Gov. Mimiko as the winner?
(a) Asiwaju Corporation of Nigeria (ACN).
(b) National Association of Godfathers of Governors.
(c) International Association of Marijuana Marketers.
(d) Association of Party Leaders who betray their presidential candidates for $100 million dollars.
(e) AMORC & Ogboni Emeritus Inc
(f) None of the above
(g) All of the above.

He has earned my respect for not giving in to that big bully , and for not playing ethnic politics as well.

If he performs even better in his 2nd term; this is one gentleman that many Nigerians (well, from the southern part at any rate ) would be comfortable with vying for the highest office possible; he's 'modern' and 'passionate' in his thinking and approach to tackling issues, and detribalised as well.

Good going.

waLL 0f TeXt

walahi i fity jagabam. Kai miliko i don killing somebody. Anyway up chemsea. Blume for life

th point is, ACn can Never win Nigeria with Tinubu at its helm of affairs! the man is ambitious and greedy & he just wants to pocket Nigeria.

oluface: walahi i fity jagabam. Kai miliko i don killing somebody. Anyway up chemsea. Blume for life

who be this?
from wch planet?

The rejection was emphasised by two symbolic acts. First, of the three major contenders, the ACN came last with 143,152 votes; the People Democratic Party came second with 155,961 votes, while the Labour Party won convincingly with 260,199 votes. Second, and more importantly, Akeredolu lost his own ward and polling unit to Mimiko, even as the ACN candidate sat tight in the ward during the polls. A politician’s standing is in serious doubt when his neighbours look him or her in the eye and vote for an opponent.

Personally I heard 6 months before the elections from the lips of a current ACN house of reps member that it would be hard to wrestle Ondo from Mimiko's grip
That ACN came 3rd didn't mean they came last
Not only 3 parties contested nah
Aketi is free to claim the elections were not free and fair , buhari did same after the presidential elections as did the PDP candidate in the Edo guber polls
The onus rests with him to produce compelling evidence if he chooses to go to court
Na hin money
OBJ lost his ward to the AD in the 1999 elections but still won the vote
Awo lost elections in the past yet that didn't demean his standing
ACN imported thugs from Lagos yet the elections were peaceful
ACN bought voters cards yet the documented cases which made the news were of 2 cases both involving LP chieftains
I hold no brief for Tinubu because his kind [corrupt influential and powerful godfathers] populate major political parties
Please note that other political parties are no angels
Whether ACN bombarded people with propaganda, time will tell
The Ondo people have made their choice
I wish them well as they enjoy the consequences of that decision for the next 4 years

oluface: walahi i fity jagabam. Kai miliko i don killing somebody. Anyway up chemsea. Blume for life

ediot 1994 model

gulfer: I hate to say this but, the unbridled
greed Tinubu has exhibited in recent
times for the conquest of the South
West and his goal of becoming the
Yoruba states' focal point is rather
annoying and unjustified. He should
stop riding on the June 12/
progressive's momentum which he is
soiling with his current in-actions. I
am certain that as soon as Tinubu
finds a good way of withdrawing to
the background unnoticed from this
everlasting disgrace, we will hear less
from Akeredolose . How can a democrat
say he spent millions of Pounds on
winning an election, INEC should try him
for that statement and even EFCC should
pick him up; even lawless PDP in their
most reckless way and days would not
have made this mistake to plan on
thwarting the popular submission in a
manner so brigand as this. I wsuggest
that all ACN governors should do same
and retain their autonomy just like
Mimiko 'IROKO', which incidentally is a
significant name just did against the
Jaguda of Lagos .

all of u will surely fail we the west love Tinubu just leave him for us ,go to east and let apga as well win the whole of eastern state mumu

All of una sabi talk wella...hmmmmmm

Hey!

Come to think of it, ACN has never been and will NEVER be the people's choice.

The only reason why people voted for ACN in Osun, Ekiti, Oyo, and Ogun was because they were totally fedup of a PDP corrupt government in those states.

Edo people on the other hand voted for Adams Oshiomole as a person and not ACN as a party. They wanted a man with a level of track record of fighting for the masses. Just the way Nigerians claimed they voted for Jonathan instead of PDP. Only this time the Edo people were lucky to have a man who still realizes the 'kingmakers' I.e The Oba of Benin and other senior state elites could do away in no time.

On the aspect of voting For Fashola for a second term, it was obvious Fashola used or rather tricked the entire Lagosians to get a re-election only to start to show his true colours as an anti-people government. Few months after re-election, the government of Lagos came out with ridiculos policies and Laws which is bringing about more hardship to the populace.

If only PDP and other parties bring forward credible people for election (people with track record). I don't think the entire South West will look at ACN as an option to vote for.

It Is clearly run by ONE MAN (like a family business) who has a very tarnishing track record of nonperfoprmance and corruption.

afrikanns:

all of u will surely fail we the west love Tinubu just leave him for us ,go to east and let apga as well win the whole of eastern state mumu

like father like son

I knew ACN was bound to fail on this from the onset. They underestimated Mimiko and they have paid the price. Mimiko is a grandmaster in politics and knows how to manipulate the environment to suit his interests. ACN should have taken the cue that this man was able to defeat PDP, they should have been wary of that. Yet they chose to apply sly tactics in attacking Mimiko blindly. There was no recognizable gubernatorial primaries hence committing political self destruction in which Mimiko assisted them. A man was imposed by Tinubu as the governor. I can imagine the outrage of Ondo indigents when they found out that a man not from the state is imposing who should lead them. *brb! Ima continue in a few*

What Tinubu suffered in Ondo State is what is called Political upper-cut, and he ended up with a bloody nose.

Why so much obsession about this man, Tinubu?

Tinubu's party lost an election in the South West, so did Awo's party lost an election in the South west in the 2nd republic.

The only negative i can infer from the ACN campaign fold is the "capture ondo" phrase, which is not that bad, IT IS ALL POLITICS.

The people have decided, it is time for governance.

Tinubu should be watched, lest he commits sucide, since it's the way of their ancestors. Why has it always been that any yoruba man that goes national(beyond their tribal line) always meet with bad luck. I now see how ACN will fare; come 2015, because some of their states are realising the addage that says: 'the devil you know is better than the angel you do not know'. Tinubuuuuuu, tinubuuuuu....'a cockerel not old enough that puts on a wrapper will be carried away by a kite, along with his(cockerel's) wrapper'. OBJ de laugh, i de laugh!

MAYOWAAK: Question 1: For the first time in the history of Ondo state, a governor has been reelected for a second term. Which of these Bola Tinubu allied Political Action Committees (PAC) lost in the election that has Gov. Mimiko as the winner?
(a) Asiwaju Corporation of Nigeria (ACN).
(b) National Association of Godfathers of Governors.
(c) International Association of Marijuana Marketers.
(d) Association of Party Leaders who betray their presidential candidates for $100 million dollars.
(e) AMORC & Ogboni Emeritus Inc
(f) None of the above
(g) All of the above.

@Op, didn't he go there empty-handed? You cannot lose what you never had. Elections are meant to be won or lost,they won Edo and lost to the incumbent in Ondo.

Every political party uses propaganda as a tool for their selfish interest.
The people of Ondo have made their choice and we all should abide by it.

ochukoccna:
Personally I heard 6 months before the elections from the lips of a current ACN house of reps member that it would be hard to wrestle Ondo from Mimiko's grip
That ACN came 3rd didn't mean they came last
Not only 3 parties contested nah
Aketi is free to claim the elections were not free and fair , buhari did same after the presidential elections as did the PDP candidate in the Edo guber polls
The onus rests with him to produce compelling evidence if he chooses to go to court
Na hin money
OBJ lost his ward to the AD in the 1999 elections but still won the vote
Awo lost elections in the past yet that didn't demean his standing
ACN imported thugs from Lagos yet the elections were peaceful
ACN bought voters cards yet the documented cases which made the news were of 2 cases both involving LP chieftains
I hold no brief for Tinubu because his kind [corrupt influential and powerful godfathers] populate major political parties
Please note that other political parties are no angels
Whether ACN bombarded people with propaganda, time will tell
The Ondo people have made their choice
I wish them well as they enjoy the consequences of that decision for the next 4 years

ar u aTinubu sympatizer, hope u undastand d english clearly, he did'nt say ACN came last, rather he said out of d 3 major frontrunners, viz: LP, PDP and ACN, ur party ACN were deservedly 3rd, sorry last, ie dey ar d backrunners.

acidtalk: Hey!

Come to think of it, ACN has never been and will NEVER be the people's choice.

The only reason why people voted for ACN in Osun, Ekiti, Oyo, and Ogun was because they were totally fedup of a PDP corrupt government in those states.

Edo people on the other hand voted for Adams Oshiomole as a person and not ACN as a party. They wanted a man with a level of track record of fighting for the masses. Just the way Nigerians claimed they voted for Jonathan instead of PDP. Only this time the Edo people were lucky to have a man who still realizes the 'kingmakers' I.e The Oba of Benin and other senior state elites could do away in no time.

On the aspect of voting For Fashola for a second term, it was obvious Fashola used or rather tricked the entire Lagosians to get a re-election only to start to show his true colours as an anti-people government. Few months after re-election, the government of Lagos came out with ridiculos policies and Laws which is bringing about more hardship to the populace.

If only PDP and other parties bring forward credible people for election (people with track record). I don't think the entire South West will look at ACN as an option to vote for.

It Is clearly run by ONE MAN (like a family business) who has a very tarnishing track record of nonperfoprmance and corruption.

No political party in Nigeria has ever been the people's choice including PDP as you earlier stated, people rejected PDP but voted in GEJ.Nigerians choose their leaders based on political exigencies. All political parties are riddled with corrupt and inept people who uses politics to achieve their personal goals.

Not all Lagosians are uncomfortable with the new legislations Fashola is introducing, so you might as well speak for yourself.Even in countries like USA not all people are comfortable with all Government policies.

Godfatherism abound in all political parties including LP where Mimiko is the alpha and omega of the party.

acidtalk: Hey!

Come to think of it, ACN has never been and will NEVER be the people's choice.

The only reason why people voted for ACN in Osun, Ekiti, Oyo, and Ogun was because they were totally fedup of a PDP corrupt government in those states.

Edo people on the other hand voted for Adams Oshiomole as a person and not ACN as a party. They wanted a man with a level of track record of fighting for the masses. Just the way Nigerians claimed they voted for Jonathan instead of PDP. Only this time the Edo people were lucky to have a man who still realizes the 'kingmakers' I.e The Oba of Benin and other senior state elites could do away in no time.

On the aspect of voting For Fashola for a second term, it was obvious Fashola used or rather tricked the entire Lagosians to get a re-election only to start to show his true colours as an anti-people government. Few months after re-election, the government of Lagos came out with ridiculos policies and Laws which is bringing about more hardship to the populace.

If only PDP and other parties bring forward credible people for election (people with track record). I don't think the entire South West will look at ACN as an option to vote for.

It Is clearly run by ONE MAN (like a family business) who has a very tarnishing track record of nonperfoprmance and corruption.

You have said it all that people voted for ACN because they all fed up PDP, that is how is the government supposed to be, and now come to Lagos if Fashola did not perform in the first term it would be clear in face of everyone in Lagos, now which ridiculous policies, i think if you wants development and progress, then there must be law and order, our people traveled abroad and you see them following the law and order there, but when it comes to ours whenever it introduced we say the government is ash on people.

I visisted akure many times b4 d election. I knew it would be difficult for any party to wrestle power from LP. Congrats t mimiko

PROUD-IGBO:
He has earned my respect for not giving in to that big bully , and for not playing ethnic politics as well.

If he performs even better in his 2nd term; this is one gentleman that many Nigerians (well, from the southern part at any rate ) would be comfortable with vying for the highest office possible; he's 'modern' and 'passionate' in his thinking and approach to tackling issues, and detribalised as well.

Good going.

I wonder why a 'proud igbo' should be bothered about the bold;Some of you need to stop hiding behind a needle