Former governor of Ondo state, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, has on Sunday picked the presidential ticket of Zenith Labour Party.
Mimiko, while delivering an acceptance speech as the candidate of ZLP, vowed to make Nigeria incubation hub of great ideas while also stressing that restructuring the Nigerian federation is a sure pathway to tackling several chalenges faced by the country.
He made the remarks in his speech: ‘Making Of Nigeria An Incubation Hub For Great Ideas’ at Chelsea Hotel, Central Area, Abuja, where he was received by his supporters and top officials of ZLP.
His words: “I am resolutely committed to a programme of restructuring the Nigerian federation.This is to afford every segment of the country the opportunity of development at its own pace’
“Restructuring is a sure pathway to tackling the challenge of insecurity that has wracked virtually every part of our country especially the Northeast and the Middle Belt.”
His speech in full:
It is with gratitude to God, the leadership, and entire membership of our dynamic party that I accept my nomination as the candidate of our party for the 2019 presidential election- Mimiko #Iroko2019
I commend the leadership of the party. They have done a marvelous job in ensuring successful conclusion of our candidate nomination process across the country- Mimiko #Iroko2019
Once again, I accept the nomination to run for the office of president of Nigeria, and pledge that I would do everything in my power, and God being with us, to lead our party to victory in 2019- Mimiko #Iroko2019
I am confident that with the social democratic ideological orientation of our party, and its pedigree, we will not have trouble convincing Nigerians why it is the preferred option for them in the elections of 2019- Mimiko #Iroko2019
As a social democratic party, committed to the enduring principles of good governance, utilitarianism (the greatest good to the greatest number), and a restructured federal system for Nigeria- Mimiko #Iroko2019
ZLP is set to capture the imagination of Nigerians, and lead the process of renewing our republic- Mimiko #Iroko2019
I am resolutely committed to a programme of restructuring the Nigerian federation.This is to afford every segment of the country the opportunity of development at its own pace- Mimiko #Iroko2019
…..and in such a manner that the age long beauty in competitive development would be fully tapped.- Mimiko #Iroko2019
I am persuaded beyond any doubt that such would give vent to ‘that indomitable spirit of Nigerians, that spirit of accomplishment, which has made stars of individual Nigerians all over the world.’- Mimiko #Iroko2019
In addition to all the good that it portends, restructuring is a sure pathway to tackling the challenge of insecurity that has wracked virtually every part of our country especially the Northeast and the Middle Belt- Mimiko #Iroko2019
We are committed to doing the needful to put an end to this unfortunate evidence of governance failure in our country- Mimiko #Iroko2019
Allied to this is our commitment to a programme of rebuilding the damaged landscape of the larger Middle Belt region, and the Northeast- Mimiko #Iroko2019
We are determined to bringing the requisite competence, and clear headedness to the management of our reconomy, such that economic opportunities would be opened up to millions of Nigerians- Mimiko #Iroko2019
…… in a manner that will take them off the poverty loop that has in more recent times so shamefully defined our country.
We are committed to a programme of economic diversification that is deep in focus, and thorough in conception- Mimiko #Iroko2019
We shall in this regard leverage upon the critical place of a strong, responsive, and responsible state that we must create, as the expansive space for private initiative in the economic development process is further consolidated- Mimiko #Iroko2019
The place of our women and youths in the development narrative shall be deliberately enhanced and entrenched-Mimiko #Iroko2019
The two constituencies not only constitute the largest proportion in our population demographics, studies over the years have been conclusive that women are the most vital catalyst of social development- Mimiko #Iroko2019
We, therefore, will approach issues relating to youth and women development from this ideological as well as practical outlook on their criticality- Mimiko #Iroko2019
With 91 registered political parties, and several of them fielding candidates in the upcoming presidential election, our duty as the flag bearer of our vibrant party, ZLP, is to bring to the attention of Nigerians those things that separate us from the pack- Mimiko #Iroko2019
I say to my party members, we must not look down on our humble beginnings. We must focus, rather, on the size and weight of our ideas. We must focus on the purity of our ideological commitment- Mimiko #Iroko2019
We must focus on our passion and compassion for the weak and the poor in society. We must focus on the clarity of our vision and thought that we bring to the fore for Nigerian as we go into the elections- Mimiko #Iroko2019
Let no mistake be made, we shall be calling upon Nigerians to assess us on the basis of what we had done in the recent past with political power.-Mimiko #Iroko2019
We shall juxtapose this with what our opponents have been able to do, as a critical element in helping Nigerians make up their minds about who deserves to be invested with power- Mimiko #Iroko2019
It is with the confidence in the ability of Nigerians to make this existential decision in the 2019 elections that I go into the next phase in our struggle to save this country from extant division, poverty, and insecurity- Mimiko #Iroko2019
We are out to disrupt settled assumptions, by focusing on our new ideological narratives that affect the people directly- Mimiko #Iroko2019
As I said on September 13, ‘Nigeria has for so long been a graveyard of dreams. It is high time we made of it an incubation hub for great ideas! That time is NOW! It is why I am running for president- Mimiko #Iroko2019
We are running Because we care!
Because we care, we challenge the status quo!- Mimiko #Iroko2019
Because we care, we challenge poverty!
Because we care, we challenge insecurity!-Mimiko #Iroko2019
Because we care, we challenge discrimination against women!
Because we care, we challenge youth exclusion and despondency!- Mimiko #Iroko2019
I thank our party, ZLP, and the leadership immensely, for considering me worthy to be our presidential candidate in the 2019 elections- Mimiko #Iroko2019