Ekiti 2014 ...

APC not afraid of ‘federal might’  —Tinubu’s in-law
 Reported by:IBUOLA OMONIYI
AS campaigns officially kicked off in Ekiti State on Sunday, ahead of the June governorship election in the state, the lawmaker representing Ekiti Central Federal Constituency II in the House of Representatives, Mr Oyetunde Ojo, has said that the Ekiti State governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, and their party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), have projects to campaign with in the coming election and, therefore, were sure of a second term for the governor.
Ojo, who is the chairman of House of Representatives Committee on Communications, while addressing newsmen in Ado-Ekiti, declared that the APC was not afraid of the so-called federal might in
the election, saying “Governor Fayemi had done well enough to have a smooth sail to a second term.”
Ojo, who is an in-law of a national leader of the APC, Senator Bola Tinubu, also dispelled the insinuation that the National Assembly members from the state gave Fayemi conditions for their support for his second term bid, describing this “as imaginations of the rumour peddlers.”
The representative of Efon/Ekiti West/Ijero Federal Constituency, said “Fayemi has done creditably well in his first term and the party  is not afraid of any onslaught from the Federal Government  during the June 21 governorship poll.”
However, the lawmaker noted that “what we are only fearing is the repeat of what happened in Anambra State, where INEC had messed up the whole process. In 2007, we didn’t have any elected officials, despite that we defeated the PDP with its federal might.
“But today, we have a sitting governor, eight federal lawmakers and 24 out of the 26 members of the state House of Assembly members. Apart from this, governance is like a social contract. Fayemi has fulfilled the social contract he signed with the people in 2007.
“What the PDP thinks is a fear on our part is the consistent clamour that the people of the state should be allowed  to speak through their votes and decide who they want as governor not through imposition from external people.”
‘Fayose is answer to APC in Ekiti’
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State, Chief Segun Adekola, has hailed the emergence of Mr Ayodele Fayose as the party’s stardard-bearer in the June governorship election in the state, saying he is the best candidate who can unseat the incumbent governor.
According to Adekola, Fayose’s co-contenders, who lost out to him, should stop making inflammatory statements and be prepared to work together to ensure victory for the party in the coming election.
Adekola, who spoke in Ado-Ekiti, said Fayose remained the only one who could win election for the PDP in the state because he was well-loved by the people and that he understood them and what they wanted from the government.
He said he was not surprised at the way the people trooped out in jubilation when it was announced that Fayose was the PDP candidate.
He added that he had all the qualities that would end the misrule of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
He further stated that the PDP should by now be looking for governor and not a candidate.
Ekiti PDP secretariat torched by suspected arsonists
By Sam Nwaoko-Ado Ekiti
Parts of the secretariat of the Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, was in the early hours of Tuesday, set on fire by suspected arsonists.
Witnesses told the  nigerian Tribune, on Tuesday, that they saw some people around 5:35 a.m as they climbed the staircase to the top floor of the one-storey building, and alleged that they could be the culprits.
The witnesses also alleged that the suspects broke into the office of the state chairman of the party, Mr Makanjuola Ogundipe, and set it on fire,  adding that “the suspicious movement of the arsonists caused the people living nearby the secretariat to raise the alarm.”
They claimed that the suspected arsonists took to their heels from the secretariat, following the alarm, with the sources noting that “the timely intervention of sympathisers led to the putting out of the fire before any serious damage could be done to the building and property in it.”
When the Nigerian Tribune visited the secretariat in the afternoon, armed policemen had been deployed to the secretariat, with their van standing guard as armed security operatives cordoned off the area.
The Police Public Relations Officer of the Ekiti State police command, Mr Victor Babayemi, in his reaction to the development, said no arrest had been made as of press time but said his men were looking into the matter.
However, no member of the party’s state executive agreed to speak on the incident when they were contacted.
LP delegates affirm Bamidele as candidate
By Sam Nwaoko-Ado Ekiti
The delegates to the Ekiti State Labour Party congress for the election of the party’s candidate in the June 21 governorship election in the state have affirmed the candidature of the member representing Ekiti Central Federal Constituency I in the House of Representatives, Mr Michael Opeyemi Bamidele.
The congress, which was held at Ajaleye Events Centre in Ado Ekiti, on Tuesday, saw the 446 delegates affirm in a unanimous voice vote their adoption of Bamidele as the party’s candidate in the presence of national and state leaders of the party.
Delegates, who had trooped to the venue of the congress from the 16 local government areas of the state, were accredited by the officials of the party after which the chairman of Labour Party in the state, Mr Akin Omole, moved a motion for the adoption of Bamidele, which was seconded by Mr Ropo Ige.
Following the motion, which had no counter, the National Vice-Chairman (South-West) of the party, Comrade Joseph Akinlaja, who led the delegation from the national headquarters of the party, raised the question whether the delegates would support the candidature of Bamidele, to which the congress gave a resounding ‘yes.’
Olubolade calls for cancellation of Ekiti PDP congress
By Sam Nwaoko-Ado Ekiti
The immediate past Police Affairs Minister and governorship aspirant in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State, Navy Captain Caleb Olubolade (rtd), has rejected last Saturday’s congress that produced former Governor Ayo Fayose as the party’s candidate for the June 21 election.
Olubolade said in a statement made available to newsmen in Ado Ekiti, on Tuesday, that the leaders of the party must cancel the exercise, saying it was not acceptable to members of the party and Ekiti people.
In the statement signed on behalf of Olubolade Campaign Organisation by Mr Remi Osabusua, the group called on the leaders of the party to cancel the exercise.
The group noted that after a careful study of all the events that led to the special state congress on Saturday, it came to the conclusion that it fell short of acceptable standard.
Among the reasons given by the group for the rejection of the result of the congress was that it was manipulated to favour Fayose.