Yar'Adua Relocates to Aso Rock Villa, Ehindero threatens Mass Arrests...

President-elect, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar'Adua of the last rigged election has relocated to the Akinola Aguda House in Aso Rock Villa to limit visitors who had bombarded his temporary Defence House residence for political appointments. The Vanguard Group of Newspapers reports "that a number of ministerial slots, ambassadorial posts, some heads of parastatals and board appointments were conceded to the Atiku camp. The source explained that the concession was to appease the Atiku camp over the perceived rigging of the April 21 elections."

Why shouldn't he appease Atiku's camp in an election seen all around the world as sham? Strange bed-fellows?

On the other hand, the Inspector General of Police, Mr.Sunday Ehindero, said he would deal with workers who violate the law by engaging in "protests outside the designated venue of the rally for today's May Day in Abuja." He threatened mass arrests should any group of people or persons carry out demonstration. In addition, the Federal Capital Territory Police Commissioner, Mr. Lawrence Alobi, said: "Only the Nigerian Labour Congress has been given permit to observe the 2007 May Day celebration at the Eagle Square in Abuja."

But in a counter response, the Vice Chairman of the Publicity Committee of the ANPP Presidential Campaign Committee, Mr. Osita Okechukwu told the Guardian Newspapers "that Alobi was merely bluffing, adding that the Police Order Act, of which he cited had been declared dead by an Abuja Federal High Court. In his own words: "Remember two years ago, Justice Amuili Chikere of the Federal High Court in Abuja in her ruling had declared that the Public Order Act, a colonial law, had no place in the present day Nigeria legal system. Therefore, we don't need anybody's permission to carry out peaceful demonstration."

Meanwhile according to reports from the Guardian, the State Security Service (SSS), the police and the military had been placed on strategic points to monitor situations and standing posts in "all the 36 states of the federation." Also, the Daily Sun, "king of the tabloids," reports that "some 200 All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) supporters from Yobe State were arrested by the police on their way to Abuja for the public demonstation." In another related incident, the Secretary General of the Alliance for Credible Election (ACE), Mr Emma Ezeazu was picked up by State Security Service for an alleged scheduled protest.

However, as the ruckus unfolds in Abuja, the mother of Rivers State Governor-elect, Celestine Omeiha, was abducted by gunmen to unknown destination while in Bayelsa State, militants kidnapped six oil workers.