Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate and senator representing Edo North, Senator Francis Alimikhena, has cautioned politicians in Edo State against unguarded utterances ahead of the 2016 governorship election so as not to heat up the polity.

He said: “The unguarded statements by some prominent politicians in the state are capable of inciting the people.  We must be careful as major actors in the polity to avoid making frivolous utterances that could unwittingly incite the generality of the public and create hostility all over the state.”

In a statement by his Media Assistant, Benjamin Atu,  yesterday, when Senator Alimikhena played host to the Abuja chapter of Usagbe and Afemai community, in his Abuja residence, Alimikhena expressed worry over the way some governorship aspirants and party supporters were making inciting statements against the governor of the state and party leadership.

“Election is not a personality struggle. It is a challenge between political parties and not political opponents. The way politicians go after their ambition has changed the perception of the public who see politics and politicians as the route to social redemption. Power belongs to God. Desperation and condemnation does not enthrone a leader.”

Senator Alimikhena, who noted that he had lost election several times before he won his senatorial election, took a swipe at the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Edo State, saying that the leadership of the opposition has lost focus and has nothing to offer due to its inability to perform in its years of rulership at the state and federal levels.