Why Bola Tinubu is fighting Mimiko

Olusegun Mimiko
Fresh facts have emerged as to why former Lagos Governor, Bola Tinubu,  is fighting Ondo Governor, Segun Mimiko.

The former is insisting the Governor  reneged on some alleged  verbal agreements reached before the Ondo helmsman reclaimed his mandate. But Mimiko has reportedly called his bluff, vowing not to concede more than necessary as is the case in Lagos Sate with Governor Babatunde Fashola, and that there was no agreement reached.

Pointblanknews.com learnt that during Mimiko's struggle to wrest his stolen mandate from Olusegun Agagu, Tinubu threw his weight behind the struggle. Initially, it was gathered, Tinubu said it was the right thing to do, since the Action Congress came a distant third in that election.

But midway into the struggle, Tinubu laid out his cards, insisting that if Mimiko triumphed  in court he ( Mimiko) must meet some conditions.

Sources hinted that he gave Mimiko three conditions for his continued support and that of the AC. They are: Allow him recommend some names for cabinet positions, that his firm, Alpha Beta ,that has cornered multiple billion naira contracts in Lagos, be given the franchise to collect Ondo state taxes, as agent, and that Mimiko should dump the Labor party for AC.

Pointblanknews.com sources hinted that shortly after inauguration of Mimiko, Tinubu sent  his candidates for  cabinet positions, including that of  Wale Akinterinwa eventually  picked the Finance commissioner's spot. But Tinubu wanted more, plus the issue of Alpha Beta. But Mimiko ignored him.

The issue, it was further gathered, led to a face off between the duo, because Mimiko insisted he never agreed to move to the AC, give Alpha Beta a blank check, nor allow Tinubu's men to be majority in his cabinet.

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Said our source " ONI was a mole in the Labor party working underground for Tinubu. He was not sincere to iroko. Tinubu was bankrolling his activities thinking once he gets ONI the party will be at his beck and call but he forgot Mimiko is the leader. ONI took away a Hiace bus belonging to the party. Two days before he left as chairman he paid N200,000 into the party account saying he sold the bus as scrap.but he sold it to himself. So the police was called in to help retrieve party property"

The source continued " he said he is angry because the governor didn't give him juicy contracts, but he didn't talk about contracts he got at the university . He even told some people he got N1million each from 11 members, and another 5 million from another member. There was no agreement between him and Mimiko. He wanted to what Alpha Betta did in Lagos but Mimiko resisted because he is accountable to the people. But today Fashola is wiser. He has vowed to stop Alpha Betta in Lagos"

The confrontation led to the exit of Akinterinwa, who left under controversial circumstances.

The former Lagos governor last weekend   carried his anti-Mimiko campaign to Lagos  during the electioneering campaign for the Lagos council polls when he declared that Mimiko, otherwise known as Iroko, a fearful tree in Africa believed to harbour evil spirits for tormenting the community “would be hacked down and burnt in the next year election”.

“Iroko ti gbabode; gige la o ge,” (Iroko has betrayed us; we must cut and pull it down, Tinubu told a roaring crowd of party supporters in Yoruba.

 
The new campaign would be the umpteenth one in the past one year over breakdown of  alleged negotiation between Tinubu ACN/Mimiko LP

Tinubu, it was learnt, was behind the exit of former Labor party chairman, Ola Oni. But shortly after his resignation, he ( Oni) said he left because Mimiko  refused to patronize him through award of juicy contracts, and make him " reap the fruit of his labor for the party"

Pointblanknews.com learnt Oni may soon publicly declare for AC. Sources hinted that the AC governorship hopeful in the state, Olu Agunloye has already approached Oni for his endorsement.

Ondo state Information commissioner, Kayode Akinmade,  has however called the Tinubu bluff, declaring that it was too early for the ACN warlord to beat his chest, “the people of Ondo State will not bow to worship a foreign entity"

Akinmade said: “When the time comes, the people of Ondo State will determine their true leader. The Ondo people will not worship any foreign god”.