Atiku hails Mimiko

Former Vice President Atiku Abuabakar has hailed the Court of Appeal decision yesterday declaring Labour Party candidate, Segun Mimiko as the duly elected governor of Ondo State in the April 2007 election.

“Once again, the judiciary has made us proud. Justice has been done in Ondo State. The stolen mandate has been returned to its rightful owner”, Atiku said in a statement released by his Media Office in Abuja yesterday.

Coming barely one week after the Court of Appeal nullified the Ekiti governorship election, Atiku said the Nigerian judiciary should continue to demonstrate courage and fairness in the quest to righting the wrongs of the April 2007 fraudulent elections.

“It is sad that Olusegun Mimiko had to wait for 21 months to reclaim his mandate. Similarly, Action Congress governorship candidate in Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi is going for a re-run election nearly two years after successfully going through the 2007 Governorship election..

“The cost to the nation in terms of time, energy and material resources which have been wasted in the struggle for justice has been enormous. All these could easily have been avoided if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had conducted free and fair elections in April 2007”, Atiku said.

He called on the Yar’Adua government to holistically implement the electoral reforms, which he promised the nation during his inauguration in May 2007.

Atiku described the declaration of Mimiko as Governor of Ondo State as a resurgence of hope in the country’s democratic system.

He said that there is nothing inherently bad with Nigeria’s democracy, stressing that the problem lies in our reluctance to play fairly because of desperation for power.