Dr Abbas Mimiko, the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) candidate in the 2024 Ondo State governorship election, has declared support for President Bola Tinubu's re-election in 2027. He made the statement on Sunday while speaking with journalists in Akure. Mimiko described Tinubu's removal of the fuel subsidy as a courageous decision that previous administrations had avoided despite recognising its necessity. He stated, "Tinubu chose to do the painful but necessary thing. All those who came before him knew subsidy was unsustainable but lacked the courage to remove it. It was a do-or-die situation for the economy."
Mimiko acknowledged the hardship caused by rising fuel prices but argued that federal allocations to states had increased by a greater percentage. He urged Nigerians to question how state governors were using the additional funds. "Nigerians should be asking their governors what they are doing with these resources. Why are these monies not visibly improving the lives of ordinary citizens?" he said. He credited Tinubu with helping recover electoral mandates in Ondo, Ekiti, Osun and Edo States, adding that his elder brother, former Ondo governor Olusegun Mimiko, may not have taken office without such efforts.
Despite remaining a member of the ZLP, Abbas Mimiko said political parties are merely vehicles and that he supports leaders delivering democracy's dividends. "I am in the ZLP, which I have been for years, and I will remain there because I don't look at party the way many people do. Parties are just a vehicle," he said. He reaffirmed his backing for Tinubu, stating, "One good term deserves another."
Abbas Mimiko praises Tinubu for removing fuel subsidy while remaining in a party that opposed the policy, creating a clear dissonance between his stance and his party's position. He claims state allocations have risen more than fuel prices but offers no evidence of how those funds are being used in Ondo or elsewhere. His argument shifts responsibility for economic pain to state governors without addressing the federal government's role in managing national inflation and distribution. Supporting Tinubu for re-election on the strength of one decision ignores the broader impact of that decision on Nigerian households.
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