Friday, 14 June 2013 00:00
Ondo State governor, Dr Olusegun Mimko, recently addressed the media on his role In the controversy rocking the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) and his emergence as Vice Chairman of the Jonah Jang-led executive of the Forum. TAIWO ADISA brings the excerpts:

WITH regard to the recently conducted and disputed election of the NGF, the concern of most Nigerians is that if you cannot hold a free and fair election among 35 people, what assurance do we have that the 2015 general election will be transparent? Besides, there have been video clips of the election. We want you to shed light on this: was voting actually conducted?

Well, you have asked what our crisis portends for peace in our polity, as we approach 2015. I must say that not one governor will say that he is very proud of what has happened. We don’t feel proud that it happened, but some of us believe that it is necessary that we ensure that things are done right in the interest of our country. Let me just say that a few of us have also received a lot of bashing, but we believe that we must stand for what is true and just.

The fundamental question that will never go away, no matter how you look at the event of Friday May 24, is the fact that the Nigerian Governors Forum is a voluntary association, so to speak, an association of equals who have voluntarily decided to come together, to be able to leverage on the synergy of that unity to pursue what is their collective interest, so perceived, and also to embark and engage in some peer review. So, it is a voluntary organisation, absolutely voluntary. Anybody is there by volition; anybody can pull out without consequences to his status as governor. So, you must know that from the beginning. Number two, and this is one point that is very fundamental. No matter the amount of propaganda that goes on in the media, it is one issue that keeps coming up that we cannot run away from, a situation, where a chairman of a forum decides to contest again. But whether that is in tandem with the spirit and the letters of our constitution is another issue that another governor can talk about.
This isn’t just another election. There has been a lot of controversy out there in the press, a lot of posturing, some of them real, some of them fake. But beneath all of these, we know that there is a lot of politics in it, unless we want to deceive ourselves. So, if anything, that election, to a very large extent, must reflect the standard of election in the polity. I keep saying this and I must say it, because I am in the position to know this. Whatever anybody says, the 2011 general election was much better than its predecessors. No matter what anybody says, the election that brought me back and brought Oshiomhole back were probably the best we have had in this country.

So, for me, the irreducible minimum for ensuring that 2015 comes to be is to ensure that we are very finicky about this process. I am one of those who believe that the biggest challenge of Nigeria as a nation is the quality of our election. I believe that with time, credible elections will throw up real leaders of the people, who will work for the people, who will ensure that the very critical issues of development are addressed, knowing full well that they are absolutely, without equivocation, responsible to the people.

Did Governor Amaechi preside over the election?
From the perspective of this fundamental, I will analyse what happened on Friday, May 24. I’ve thrown a challenge that the full video should be out. I specifically said that even in a village meeting, even old boys’ association meeting, once we say a tenure has elapsed and the presiding officer, in this case the chairman, indicated interest, we must first of all dissolve the house , then we elect a temporary man who will preside over affairs until a new chairman emerges and we must also agree on the process of that election, especially in a voluntary organisation, and especially if what we claim as constitution doesn’t spell out clearly how it should be done.

That Friday, immediately the chairman indicated that he was going to run, willy-nilly—and I say willy-nilly deliberately, because there has been a practice in governors’ forum, it has always been by consensus and in this case, the practice has always been also that the party with the majority among the governors will produce the chairman.

We know as of a matter of fact that the PDP Governors’ Forum had endorsed Governor David Jang of Plateau State. But be that as it may, immediately Governor Amaechi insisted that he was going to run, we insisted also that he had to vacate the seat as chairman, so that we could bring in somebody who would now conduct the affairs of the house and the affairs of the house on the table was the conduct of election. For me, that was fundamental. But the truth is—which is why I tell you that you insist that you must see the full video—our meetings are quasi-informal meetings. If somebody, out of disrespect for his own colleagues, or because of some predetermined reasons whatever, decides to plant a video, you should ask him for the whole video. But we insisted that, “Mr Chairman, if you are insisting you want to run, convention, common sense, the morality of the situation dictate that you vacate that seat. ‘’

In fact, Governor Peter Obi who was the vice chairman indicated that he wasn’t going to run. The worst case scenario was for Peter Obi to be there and conduct the election and we must first of all agree on the mode of this election. Is it going to be by raising of hands? If it is going to be secret ballot, is it going to be by ticking or thumb printing? But we had a situation where, on that Friday, Governor Amaechi didn’t only indicate interest that he was going to run, he also insisted that he wouldn’t vacate that seat and there was a lot of commotion in the house.

At a stage, one of the governors said those of us that ran the second term didn’t have to vacate our seat before election, but we pointed out the difference. Yes, I ran for a re-run but I wasn’t the INEC; I wasn’t the one that printed the ballot papers. You cannot be a candidate and at the same time be your own INEC---and at the same time, not only INEC, you also had the privilege as the one who produced the ballot papers!
You knew the number you produced; there are no serial numbers on them, we didn’t know the number of ballot papers and you were also the one who brought the ballot box. So, for me that was the point of departure and I felt personally, and quite a number of us kept saying at that juncture, that it would be immoral for us to go on.

You were quoted as saying things would have led to fisticuffs…?
Even at a stage, we then argued that in the interest of this forum, let us give you the opportunity to sit there, but if you are sitting there, to preside over this election, we would not use your ballot papers. We then said, “okay if you insist that you are going to preside over your own election, it must be by show of hands. We were still arguing when he said Okauru (DG NGF secretariat) should start distributing ballot papers!
There were two options open to us: a situation where a man decided to preside over his own election, printed the ballot papers and ballot boxes and went ahead, willy-nilly to do it--- either we walked out.You know what would have happened, even if we had walked out. There is also a viral input in that constitution which also says that quorum is 12. So, if we had walked out, there is no guarantee that certain people wouldn’t have sat down there and called the press to witness ‘free and fair election” and we said, that would still not be representative of the opinion of the NGF.

Of course, the other option is the Nigerian way: take the ballot and smash it, let there be crisis. But you also know that that behaviour is beneath a governor. I must tell you that some governors were almost tempted to do that, but we kept saying we should not do it, in the interest of Nigeria. It was better for them to come out and say we participated and keep defending it and we know that time will bear us out. I remember that I kept saying it that this process is immoral, the outcome would be disputed, if we don’t have court to go to, we can say we don’t want to be part of this. I cannot say that some governors didn’t vote, but I am sure that what they counted didn’t represent the opinion of governors there that day.

So, Governor Jang is now fully in charge?
Victory in this case for Amaechi would have been if everybody had endorsed the outcome of that election. Apart from that and this is absolutely important. The following day, gentlemen, the day after the election—forget the fact that Governor Amaechi has succeeded in playing the underdog as a victim in the press and you know you journalists you like the victim and underdogs. But at times, if an aggressor is smart, he can translate himself to be victim. But the following day, Governor Jang called a meeting of governors, 18 were present, reiterating their support for him. Now, 18 the following day, standing to be counted physically as opposed to 19 in some dubious ballot papers which was designed by a contestant. It was the evidence of video-clips and ballot papers without serial numbers versus elected governors standing to be counted physically and putting their signatures. I would expect you pressmen to say, any governor whose signature has been forged here should own up. So, if a disputed election was held, the following day, 18 governors who represent their own people physically stood up and said, ‘look I support this man, I don’t believe in that outcome of the flawed election.’’

Now, the question I ask is, why have some people decided to believe in a voodoo ballot process rather than the physical people, who were there to be counted? But I am saying that we are ready to take whatever bashing that comes, knowing that what we are doing, if people don’t appreciate it now, history will bear us out, because we would have established once and for all, that you cannot be a judge in your own case.For me, that’s the point of departure. I have benefitted from free and fair election, even from an opposition President who, probably going by Nigeria standards, could have influenced the outcome of my election but he allowed it to be free and fair.

So, for me, the irreducible minimum for 2015 you are talking about is the extent to which we can defend free and fair election. And for me, irrespective of the avalanche of political propaganda in the press, the principles must be followed. At times, it is very, very inconvenient to follow principles but for us, it was morally wrong, conventionally wrong and legally wrong for Governor Amaechi as a candidate to sit beside the ballot papers, bring the ballot box and also be the presiding officer. So, moving to 2015, this is the principle we defend and make no mistake about it; if you want to subsume principles under propaganda, we will all pay a price for it in 2015.

He should have also taken the position of the returning officer. Some people are already committing political suicide in this nation. But the end shall justify the means.

This rogue is still talking...

Emperior Ameachi showing himself at the NGF. For those residing in rivers state for the past 20yrs its nothing new. Ameachi is a modern day dictator.

Mimiko is a disgraced to the yorubas and I'm highly disappointed in him for selling his soul to the evil party.


This is not what we stand for !

MIMIKO.... another OMO ALE in the making!

Mimiko has always been a man not to be trusted by his words.
Was Tinubu not the first leader of the NGF?

ccwizard: Emperior Ameachi showing himself at the NGF. For those residing in rivers state for the past 20yrs its nothing new. Ameachi is a modern day dictator.

uncle, how does your statement above relate to the topic on ground? pls talk about the topic which is NGF chairman and even the deaf and dumb know who the winner is (Amaechi) abi na bad thing to win election?

Mimiko's is a very lengthy route to a simple matter. If he and others insisted on the 'right' process, why did they later accept the 'flawed' procedure. By doing so, they all made the outcome to be binding on all of them. QED. If they had booted out the Amaechi-prescribed process of the election and not joined in the voting, the matter would have been different today.

Mimiko should admit it. Their camp goofed! Big time.

The issue now is no more of the integrity of their internal electoral process by the integrity of the participants who initially agreed to a process only to kick against the outcome of the process by turning around to cry foul on a process they all admitted themselves to. Please someone help tell excellency Mimiko that the later is a worse evil.

They were confident of the strength in their perceived majority but the truth is that, behind the cloak of secrecy, because not all in their camp believed in their cause, some turned true to their feelings. If you go deep down the hearts of some of the members of the camp, not all are happy about the undercurrents leading to the pressure to boot out Amaechi, but none will say it due to fear, perhaps of a presidency, which is becoming desperate in its actions and comments by the day. No many want to confront a mad bull, right cause or not.

So for Governor Mimiko, why did you agree to vote, with all the flaws in the process, only to begin to speak long grammar postmortem? Did Amaechi also force you and the others to vote?

Mimiko is a confirmed idiota. I have of recent,taken more interest in his so called performance .A simple look shows that his performance is average at best.he has always been a conservative. No value ,no principle, nothing. A bit better than the akala and agagu type but not all that himself.
A cursory look at his career show that he has always been a jobber who was always in bed with the military .
It is certain his influence in ondo state ends with his mandate.