Ex-Labour Party Governor Joins APC; Gives Reason

Former Governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko, has officially joined the All Progressives Congress (APC).

On Wednesday, he visited the APC secretariat located in the Ondo West Local Government Area to complete his membership registration with the ruling party.

Upon his arrival, Mimiko was warmly welcomed by the APC Chairman for the state, Babatunde Kolawole, and the Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Olamide Oladiji, with enthusiastic support from party members and supporters.

Mimiko, who served as the governor of Ondo State from 2009 to 2017, recently made headlines when he announced his resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in April, putting an end to uncertainties regarding his political future.

Before his time with the PDP, he was a key figure in the Labour Party (LP), contributing significantly to political developments at both the state and national levels.

Sources who spoke with The Nation said his return to active partisan politics followed a period of relative political quiet during which he maintained influence through loyalists and political structures across the state.

Party insiders described Mimiko’s defection as strategic, saying his political experience and grassroots network would strengthen the APC, particularly in Ondo Central Senatorial District.

A former spokesman to Mimiko, Akinsola, confirmed the development, saying arrangements had been concluded to formally receive the former governor into the party.

Mimiko said he joined the ruling party to support President Bola Tinubu’s development agenda.

He stated, “There are a lot of good things being done by the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led government.

“And though much more will still have to be done, I am coming in to lend my support to ongoing efforts to keep Nigeria on the path of peace, progress, and genuine development.”

He also commended the student loan scheme and ongoing efforts to decentralise policing.

“The NELFUND initiative to democratise access to education is another commendable effort of Mr President, which must be applauded, and for an avowed supporter of state police like myself, the current effort to decentralise policing as being pursued is another reason I am happy to be part of the current effort under Mr President,” Mimiko said.

Receiving him, the Ondo State APC Chairman, Kolawole Babatunde, described Mimiko as a progressive.

“Mimiko is a progressive all through, and his coming into the APC is like a homecoming,” he said.

The event was attended by APC leaders, members of the Ondo State cabinet and principal officers of the state House of Assembly.