Ondo State politician and business mogul, Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim, on Thursday obtained his nomination form for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primaries coming up later in the year.
He belongs to the faction loyal to Ali Modu-Sheriff.
At a press conference preceding his collection of nomination form, Ibrahim took a swipe at state governors who have not been able to pay salaries of workers in public service.
He described the indebted governors as lacking the initiative to bolster their states’ finances.
He said he had the Midas touch to turn around the fortunes of Ondo State and promised to pay up salary arrears of workers in the state under 100 days of getting into office if and when he becomes governor.
He derided the current state governor, Olusegun Mimiko, whom he accused of profligacy in the management and development of resource- generating ventures in the state.
The politician claimed that within the period of the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, Governor Mimiko had collected well over N100 billion from the federation account and could have used just N48 billion of it to pay workers for a year without owing them anything.
Doing so, he said, would have left the state with about N62 billion for development.
Rather, he pointed out, the governor did not offset salaries neither did he use the money judiciously.
In faulting the governors who owe workers’ salary, he stated that Ondo State had over 10 solid minerals which he would tap to develop the state, maintaining that people would see the difference he would make.
Asked why he chose to obtain his form from the Senator Ali Modu-Sheriff’s faction and not the caretaker committee headed by Senator Makarfi, he stated that Senator Ahmed Makarfi had no locus in law to claim the chairmanship of the party.
He argued that Sheriff was known in law, having taken over from Dr Adamu Muazu who resigned as national chairman before the expiration of his tenure. (Independent)\
•Photo shows Jimoh Ibrahim.
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