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Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Mimiko has been accused of planning to impeach his deputy, Alhaji Ali Olanusi, for defecting to the All Progressives Congress.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Science and Technology, Senator Robert Boroffice, made the allegation in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday.
According to the senator, the governor was already harassing Olanusi with thugs, a development he said, was putting the deputy governor’s life in danger.
The senator representing Ondo North Senatorial District argued that Olanusi had the right to defect to any party of his choice since Mimiko, who contested the seat on the platform of Labour Party alongside Olanusi, had also defected to the Peoples Democratic Party.
His statement reads: “As the Asiwaju of Akokoland, our people have mandated me to warn the Ondo State governor against making attempt to frustrate an industrious and highly prominent Akoko man out of his government simply because he defected to another party.
“Alhaji Olanusi, who is our dear son, had helped to stabilise the Mimiko administration and we won’t fold our arms and watch Governor Olusegun Mimiko to frustrate or disgrace him out of office because he had not done anything wrong .
“Olanusi stabilised Mimiko administration. We won’t agree with his antics. He should leave our son alone to enjoy the joint ticket he won together with Mimiko. We are solidly behind him in Akokoland.”
But Mimiko while reacting on Tuesday, said Boroffice’s alarm had no substance and that Olanusi had nothing to fear if he was convinced that he had not committed impeachable offences.
According to the Commissioner for Information, Kayode Akinmade, “Mr. Governor has no thug to send after anybody. As for impeachment, the deputy governor has nothing to fear if he has not committed any impeachable offence.
“It is however curious that Senator Borofice is raising the alarm over a plot to impeach somebody when he (Borofice) was the one that actually threatened in an interview with Punch that they would impeach the governor immediately after the elections, believing that they would win the state assembly poll.”