TheCable

President Goodluck Jonathan has said that the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would resolve the differences between Olusegun Mimiko, governor of Ondo state, and Jimoh Ibrahim, a top businessman who hails from the state.

Ibrahim and Mimiko have been at logger heads for years, but their differences have become more worrisome since October 2014 when the governor defected to PDP, which Ibrahim is a member of.

In March 2011, the state government petitioned the presidency over Ibrahim’s utterances during a face-off with the governor.

Mimiko coincidentally met Ibrahim at the airport and decided to symapthise with him over the kidnap of his mother but not only did Ibrahim snub the governor, he was also quoted to have said that he would “deal with Mimiko”.

“Jimoh Ibrahim pointed angrily at the governor and bellowed, ‘Look, am not interested in your greetings,” Kolawole Olabisi, the then chief press secretary to Mimiko, said in a statement.

“I will ensure that we burn Ondo state down and burn you with it. I will deal with you and your bunch of rabble rousers.”

However, during his re-election campaign in Ondo on Wednesday, the president promised that efforts would be made to reunite both men in the interest of the development of Ondo.

“My commitment is to tell the people of Ondo that we would work with them to develop the state,” he said.

“The PDP family appreciates that we have issues in Ondo state but the party will work very hard to make sure that Jimoh Ibrahim and the governor sit down together and think about the interest of Ondo state.

“They must sit to discuss not personal things but the development of Ondo state and they must work with us to develop the country because everything about politics is not about self but the people.

“Ondo state has so much to show for leadership and has contributed to the development of the rest part of the country and that’s why the government must take the issue of Ondo state seriously.

“Our request from you is your vote from the house of representatives to the senate and at the national level.”