February 14, 2015 should be a lover's day worldwide, but not so in Nigeria. Rather, it is the day when the much-talked about general elections will begin. And apprehensions are high as the minutes tick away each day.

In Kwara State, for instance, the day has somewhat become the proverbial 'ides' of February. The frenzy became obvious recently when the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, that was initially engrossed in a crisis over the election of Senator Simeon Sule Ajibola, a Christian, as the governorship candidate, resolved the matter through the machinery of the party.

A section of the party members had earlier argued that Kwara is a Muslim state that should not have any Christian governorship candidate. They wanted the election upturned and given to a Muslim, but other members including Muslims from the emirate disagreed, arguing that the affairs of the party in particular and that of the state in general should not be tied to sentiment.

Muslims from the emirate too were not left out of this argument. Those who made the list among the aspirants included Professor Shuiab Abdlraheem as chairman, Senator Baba Shuruq as Vice Chairman, Deacon John Dara as Director General, Architect Kale Belgore as Director General, Kwara Central, Alhaji Makanjuola Ajadi as Director General, Kwara South and Hon. Isa Bio Ibrahim as Director General, Kwara North. This development had suddenly caused fury among the gladiators from both the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the major combatants for the soul of Kwara next month.

Before now, the APC had believed that the PDP was by no means a match for either the incumbent Governor Abdulafatah Ahmed or his godfather, Bukola Saraki otherwise known as the ‘leader’ in the state now. But as soon as the party came out of the crisis within and picked an Ilorin indigene as his running mate, jitters were sent to the spine of their opponents. Before now, Saraki had in his culture of anointing who becomes what in the state without challenge, declared that Governor Ahmed would continue with his deputy; Elder Peter Kizira; a Christian. But with the PDP's Simon Ajibola, also a Christian and Ahmed Yinka Aluko; a Muslim from Ilorin as his running mate, the interest of Ilorin that had hitherto been advanced by the Kwara central that controls the major share of votes in the state was taken care of. The power equation that once left Ilorin out was said to have been taken care of by the PDP. This development therefore blew the whistle for a hot contest between the two political parties.

Throughout the yuletide period, neither Governor Ahmed nor Bukola was around to share the funs of the festive time with their followers. They were said to be in faraway Saudi Arabia communing with God over the impending duel between them and their opponents. It promises to be a battle royale and it is just a matter of weeks.

Meanwhile, Senator Saraki appears to be having a cold battle to contend with, between him and his diehard henchmen who backed him when he had a running battle with his late father, Dr. Olusola Saraki, in 2011. They are Alahji Ganiyu Olododo Cook, his erstwhile Chief of Staff, Commissioner and later Secretary to the State Government and also Hon. Mustapha Moshoiod who was also a commissioner before becoming a member of the House of Representatives. The duo were said to have been promised appointments by Saraki to be in the lower chamber of the National Assembly. While Moshood was obliged by Saraki once and recently denied a second run, Cook was never given the privilege. Of late, the matter became a bloody protest as supporters took to streets to pull down Bukola's portrait, and billboards. They were fighting on the side of the duo for being allegedly used and dumped.

For now, the seeming hot season of politics in the state come next month is making schools, particularly the tertiary ones to hurry up their semester programmes while churches and mosques have gone into fervent prayers. The bias of the men of God on both sides of the divide could not however be buried even, while speaking with God over the matter. The monarchs too,are not left out. The way it is, a battle royale is coming up in Kwara next month and it will termed the ides of February.