ONDO 2020: Makinde in another closed door meeting with Mimiko
FOR the second time within 42 days, Oyo state governor Seyi Makinde met again with the immediate past governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko behinds closed door ahead of the governorship election scheduled for October 10 this year.
Sources said that Makinde who visited Mimiko at his Ondo country home with two other leaders of the party in Oyo state including Senator Hosea Agboola were on a reconciliation mission and to woo him back to the PDP.
Makinde whose last visit to Mimiko was on June 26, Vanguard learnt came to plead with him to forgive his grandson, the PDP governorship candidate, Eyitayo Jegede.
Jegede was the Attorney General and Justice Commissioner for eight years under Mimiko.
Their relationship became frosty after the 2016 election which was won by the incumbent Rotimi Akeredolu.
For over three years the duo went their different ways over some irreconcilable differences until Jegede again won the party’s ticket to contest in the October 10 governorship election.
The emergence of a third force, the Zenith Labour Party led by Mimiko on which platform the deputy governor Hon Agboola Ajayi who came second in the PDP primary wanted to contest has unsettled Jegede and leadership of the PDP.
Makinde was said to have tried to mediate between the duo ahead of the election but failed.
His night visit to Mimiko on Thursday in Ondo town was also to plead with him to support Jegede in the election.
Sources said that the meeting between the two leaders could not achieve the desired result because Mimiko had given his word to the deputy governor who was billed to defect to the ZLP next week.
Mimiko was said to have informed Makinde that it was too late for him to support Jegede because of his commitment to the third force.
Recall that Jegede himself had visited Mimiko in Ondo during the week to seek for reconciliation and support for his ambition.
His visit after over three years was seen by members of the ZLP in the state as belated.
The media aide to Mimiko John. Paul Akinduro confirmed to vanguard the the Oyo state governor and other leaders of the party visited Mimiko.
Akinduro said it was a closed door meeting between Makinde and his host.
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