ACN Governors Not Expected as Mimiko is Sworn in For 2nd Term

Ondo State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Kayode Akinmade, on Thursday said eminent Nigerians, including former Heads of State, Generals Ibrahim Babangida, and Abdulsalam Abubakar would attend the second term inauguration ceremony of Governor Olusegun Mimiko.

Akinmade, who is a member of the inauguration committee, also added in a statement in Akure that former Head of Interim Government, Chief Ernest Shonekan; and former Vice President, Atiku Abubarkar, will also grace the occasion.

He said governors Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi , Chief Rochas Okorocha, Theodore Orji and Godswill Akpabio of Anambra, Rivers, Imo, Abia and Akwa Ibom states respectively, would also be in attendance.

Other governors scheduled to grace the occasion include Babangida Aliyu (Niger); Ibrahim Shema (Katsina); Gabriel Suswan (Benue); and Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa).

Akinmade added that Ijaw leader,Chief Edwin Clark, and a  former governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, were also being expected at the inauguration ceremony.

Meanwhile, notable politicians in the state spoke at a programme organised by the Omoluabi Foundation on Thursday, advising the state Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, to beware of sycophants.

They included a former commissioner in the state, Chief Segun Adegoke, Mr. Segun Ojo, Senator Remi Okunrinboye, Chief Mrs. Febisola Adekeye, and the Commissioner for Community Development and Cooperative Services, Clement Faboyede.

Ojo commended the decision of the governor to dualise the Arakale road, saying this had been impossible for successive governments in the 37 years old state

Meanwhile, most of the witnesses listed by the Action Congress of Nigeria to testify in its petition before the Election Petitions Tribunal, sitting in Akure, on Thursday gave contradictory responses during cross-examination.

The witnesses, for instance, had alleged in their various statements that a different voter register, which was inflated with additional names that were not in the 2011 register, was used by the Independent National Electoral Commission for the conduct of the poll.

However, during cross examinations by counsel for Mimiko, the Labour Party and the INEC, the witnesses admitted that they were given the 2011 register which was used for the poll.

They also claimed that they did not have in their possession, the voter register which they had earlier admitted on oath was used by INEC to conduct the October 2012 governorship poll.

A mild drama ensued during the cross examination of one Timothy Korede, who claimed to be the Secretary of ACN in his local government council.

Korede had claimed in his statement on oath that he was the Returning Officer of his ward, whereas there was no such role in the INEC manual for the poll.

He also contradicted himself when he claimed to have distributed the voter register to all his party agents in his ward on the election day, despite the restriction of movement on that day.