The people of Ekiti State, in the south west zone of Nigeria are now living in fear and trepidation ahead of the All Progressives Congress, APC governorship primaries slated for today.
Truckloads of anti-riot policemen, sixteen buses and a fleet of cars are being driven in heart rending manner across the state, hours before the All Progressives Congress, APC primaries in the state, ostensibly to create fear in the hearts of hapless citizens.
One of the 33 aspirants for the governorship seat and incumbent Minister of Mines and Steel, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has adopted the fairy strategy of intimidation as one of the means to ride to success in the contest believed to be likely in favour of incumbent Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, by political pundits in the state.
Earlier opinion polls and surveys have placed Ojudu first, former governor Segun Oni second while others file behind the duo in the primaries attested to have attracted the largest number of aspirants in the political history of Ekiti State.
Fayemi, it was gathered adopted the method to cow the people and reinforce his earlier claim that he enjoys the support of the Federal Government as the choice candidate in the primaries exercise already going on in the capital city, Ado Ekiti.
The suppressive tactic of moving around the state a day to the election in a convoy of police vehicles loaded with fierce looking mobile policemen to intimidate people in wanton display of federal support has landed many of the delegates for the primaries in several camps created by the former governor where he planned to lure the electorates to enter into bond of allegiance with him.
Already, calls have been coming from some of the camped delegates unravelling how they were being accosted in a Gestapo manner and whisked into camps situated in Isan his hometown, and Ilaramokin, Igbaraoke, Owo in Ondo State, where they were held overnight with the intention to be conveyed straight to the venue of the election.
Neighbouring Ondo State is said to have been a beehive of political activities in the recent days as Governor Rotimi Akeredolu has been very visible in rooting for Fayemi in a payback decoy to curry victory for the mines and steels minister.
Fayemi had started his belated campaign for the Ekiti number one seat creating the impression that he was the one endorsed by the presidency to take over power from the incumbent governor Ayodele Fayose.
Fayose beat Fayemi in 2014 with a landslide in all the sixteen local councils in the state, causing the APC another major loss after the tragic loss that dislodged governor Niyi Adebayo, an incumbent governor in 2003.
As at press time, the city of Ado Ekiti has been under siege with people talking in hush tones discussing their fates under the lingering atmosphere of fear created by the rampaging police escorts of Fayemi and his civilian thugs.