Buhari, Mimiko, Lalong meet in Aso Rock

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday separately met with Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong.


Lalong is the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Ondo Governorship Campaign.

The President was in Akure, the Ondo State capital, at the weekend to campaign for the APC candidate, Rotimi Akeredolu.

Though the Ondo governorship election is on Saturday, the PDP is still in crisis.

Mimiko is rooting for Eyitayo Jegede to emerge as his successor.

Mimiko’s meeting with the President lasted for about 30 minutes.

Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, the governor denied the allegation that he was planning to dump the PDP.
He explained that he was in the Villa to brief the President on the security situation in his state.

On why he was frequently visiting the President, he said: “What is frequent? This is my second visit to the Villa since our party crisis started.
“Mr President was in my state to campaign. I extended to him the courtesy of receiving him and seeing him off at the airport.

“I understand that people have speculated that this means I am going to APC. There is nothing of such. I only extended him the courtesy that protocol demands.

“As a governor, if the President is visiting, no matter the party he belongs, it is only appropriate for me to extend the courtesy to him. That was what I did in Akure.”

Stressing that he is concentrating on the PDP case in court, he said the state would erupt in joy if Jegede emerges the PDP candidate on Tuesday.
At the end of the meeting with the President, Lalong insisted that the APC will win the election.

He said: “We have finished our campaign. You saw what happened at the grand finale. We are not in doubt that APC will win.
“It is other parties that are scared of the APC. We have come to thank the President for coming to Ondo.”

On the absence of the APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and some Southwest governors at the Saturday rally, Lalong said: “There was not problem. We explained their absence. They sent in their apologies. The President was at the rally. The national chairman was also there.

“To the party, their absence did not make any difference. If a leader was not there and he has said he was not there because of ill-health, we have prayed that God will heal him.”