With the governorship election scheduled for June 21 in Ekiti state getting closer, the two major political parties: All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are squiring up for the soul of the state this week.

While the top shots in APC have already converged on Ado Ekiti, the state capital, campaigning vigorously for the peoples’ votes, the PDP, led by President Goodluck Jonathan, is scheduled to hit the same state capital tomorrow for the same purpose.

The PDP candidate, Ayo Fayose is expected to receive the Presidential blessing tomorrow even as the APC chieftains including ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar; APC National Leader, Bola Tinubu, and the party’s National Chairman, Bisi Akande have blessed the candidacy of Kayode Fayemi. Fayemi is seeking a second term while Fayose is campaigning to return to the seat he vacated in 2006.

Meanwhile, the police commissioner in the state, Mr. Felix Uyanna, has said that he had deployed his men and officers to strategic locations to forestall any breakdown of law and order.

The two rallies would hold at the popular Oluyemi Kayode Stadium in Ado Ekiti, the state capital.

Uyanna, who spoke through the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Victor Babayemi added that his men had also commenced a stop-and-search operation on all vehicles.

“The command has enough manpower to ensure that the rallies are held under a peaceful atmosphere. Once the protection of lives and property is our utmost duty, we are going to do all within our powers to curb any crisis that could lead to loss of lives.

“We have activated all the police units to be able to deal with any situation because we are not unaware of the personalities that will visit the state within the next two days. Our men from the Explosive and Ordinance Department had already commenced operation at the venue of the two rallies. They are combing everywhere as we speak.

“We are not going to limit our operations to this; we are also going to give adequate protection to all the hotels where some of these personalities will be staying. So, we are on top of the situation and we are monitoring situations very carefully.”

The police boss urged residents to go about their lawful business and to steer clear of trouble.

A senator from Benue state, George Akume has said that members of the deadly Boko Haram are not fighting for any type of religion but their selfish interest, even as he asked Nigeria to come together to defeat them.
In a statement in Abuja, Senator Akume also made it clear that if the intention of the incessant bomb attacks in many parts of the North is to create religious hatred amongst the citizenry, they have failed.

It is clear from the utterances of those committing these acts of terror that their grievances are not religious, ethnic nor political. They simply want to destroy the democracy which Nigerians have fought for and which we are now trying to build.
Senator Akume reminded members of the Boko Haram that Nigeria has come to stay and that any attempt by them to destroy the country will fail.
“Nigeria has fought a civil war before and survived it. The new attempts to plunge our beloved country into yet another civil war will fail.”
He was pained another spate of bomb blasts in Jos, Plateau state capital on Tuesday, adding that the bombings that had killed many innocent Nigerians showed that the sole aim of Boko Haram is to destroy the country.
Senator Akume is also disturbed by the abduction of young school girls and the announcement by them that the girls would sold into slavery.
He advised the insurgents to drop their arms and embrace the government’s offer of dialogue so that what ever grievances they have against the system will be addressed.
He also called on Nigerians of all religious beliefs and ethnic origins to stand firm against the premeditated attempts to destroy this country.
The Senator prayed to God to grant eternal rest to the souls of the victims of the blasts, even as he asked God to grant the families of the victims of the dastardly acts the fortitude to bear the loss.

Special adviser on Communications and spokesman to Governor Kashim Settima of Borno state, Isa Gusau has described the ex Niger Delta militant, Alhaji Asari Dokubo as a jester with whom his boss will not trade tackle.

Gusau who reacted to some media reports yesterday quoting Dokubo as alleging that no girl was abducted in Chibok, Borno state and that Governor Shettima and his party, All Progressives Congress (APC) staged a political scam on the kidnap to‎ hit at President Goodluck Jonathan ahead off 2015 elections said the ex militant is only trying to be a hero by default.

“Governor Shettima is too serious minded to reply Asari Dokubo who is just a joker as most Nigerians regard him. As a onetime journalist covering the Niger Delta, I had come in direct contact with ‎Asari when he organized a rally in support of late Gaddafi in Port Harcourt and also when he organised the 2011/2012 Isaac Boro lecture in Port Harcourt which he kept interrupting, taking over the microphone from people like respected lawyers, like Festus Keyamo. He was intermittently speaking without protocol and without shame.

“He is just a joker. No reasonable Nigerian takes him serious. He was reportedly saying that Chibok abduction was a sham. I won’t be surprised if by next week the same Asari Dokubo will lead another rally to counter the one he just held. Last year, Asari was reportedly speaking against Presidency. Now he has changed the tune. We don’t know what happened but that is how he is; he uses the media for personal interest and some sort of blackmail.”

Gusau said that Dokubo wants to be regarded as a hero, adding: “but I tell you that no one sees him as such in the Niger Delta that I had covered.

“He is trying to force unwilling public to see him different from who he is but like the saying goes, ‘you can fool some people for sometimes, but you cannot fool all the people all the time,’ Asari dubiously took advantage of Isaac Boro event to say what he said so that the procession would seem like a support base for his isolated opinion.

“I saw some pictures of some girls in one house displaying some placards. From the faces, I think he probably assembled some of his immediate and extended family members and gave them placards. One person wrote on all the cards the same writing, all of which look like a sort of Mickey Mouse scene in cartoon series.

“How can Governor Shettima reply a jester; how can he respond to such a play by Asari that falls far below the standard of Nollywood acting when he (the governor) is busy working very hard with all relevant bodies to find ways to secure the freedom of his precious daughters in captivity?”