A first class traditional ruler and the Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe on Wednesday prayed for the victory of President Goodluck Jonathan at the February 14 presidential poll.

Receiving the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) campaign train led by Governor Ayodele Fayose at his palace on Wednesday, Oba Adejugbe, who is also the pro-chancellor of the University of Jos, Plateau State said: “Whatever President Jonathan wants in this election, God will help him to achieve it”.

Meanwhile, a chieftain of the All Progressive Party (APC), Mr. Segun Osinkolu has described the recent call for a change in date of the next weekend presidential poll as wicked, callous and absolutely unwarranted.

In a statement in Ado Ekiti yesterday, Osinkolu said such calls at this time was meant to derail the electoral process to cause chaos in the polity, a condition he said would bring ill-wind that would blow Nigerians no good.

The monarch applauded Governor Fayose for helping one of his subjects, Mrs Fatimat Raji-Rasaki, to clinch the PDP’s ticket in Ekiti Central senatorial district in the primaries, saying the gesture had allayed the fear that the town will lose out completely at all levels.

Oba Adejugbe hinted that the town was left with no top political appointee in government, sequel to the removal of former Deputy Governor and indigene of the town, Prof. Modupe Adelabu, due to the defeat suffered by ex-governor Kayode Fayemi during the June 21 Governorship poll.

“I was afraid that we will lose the Deputy Governorship and senatorial positions, but with what you have done by fielding Mrs. Raji-Rasaki, you have allayed our fears and this has gone a long way to prove that you have the interest of this town at heart”, the monarch said.

Addressing crowd of party supporters at Mathew Street within the Ado Ekiti capital city, Fayose appealed to aggrieved members of the party, who have axe to grind over the conduct of the primaries to approach appropriate channel for truce.
Fayose boasted that the party would repeat the feat it recorded during the June 21 governorship poll, where he defeated the then incumbent Governor, Dr. Fayemi in all the 16 local governments, winning in 158 out of the 177 wards in the State.
He said it would be suicidal for any of the unsuccessful aspirants to play the role of a spoiler in the coming election, urging those with such a sinister motive to have a rethink.

“I have told you that this party will continue to represent the interest of everybody. But don’t turn yourself to a spoiler or mole because you are fighting over certain things. This life is turn by turn and I believe if you are patient, your own time shall come.”

Speaking further on the poll shift, the APC chieftain said: “It is an unfortunate thing and an aberration for somebody or a group of people to hide somewhere and call for a change of the date of the poll when Nigerians both at home and in the diaspora are more than prepared to elect their new leaders at all levels”.

According to him, what every patriotic Nigerian should be working towards is a free, fair, and crisis-free poll through prayers, but expressed regret that rather than this, some people he described as disgruntled elements are canvassing for postponement.

“The call was nothing but a mere waste of time because any attempt by the authorities to shift the poll will amount to playing on the intelligence of millions of eligible Nigerian voters who had made up their minds to elect their new leaders across board”.