The running mate to late Abubakar Audu, governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi State, Rep. James Faleke has rejected the party’s decision to present Yahaya Bello for the Dec 5 supplementary election. INEC declared the November 21 election as inconclusive following the cancellation of voting in 91 polling units across the state.
APC was asked to nominate another candidate to replace Audu, who passed on November 22 as INEC declared the elections inconclusive.
The party nominated Bello as the replacement. Bello was the runner-up in the party’s primary where late Audu emerged as the candidate of the All Peoples Congress for the election.
Faleke said on Monday, December 1, 2015 while briefing newsmen at the APC national secretariat in Abuja, that the decision was not acceptable as Bello did not participate in any of the campaigns or primary before the election. He said he was at the party headquarters for a meeting to resolve the issue but was shocked as he was only briefed on the party’s position on the issue.
He said: ”We met for two hours as you have observed and of course we discovered at the meeting that what we were invited for was just a mere briefing rather than it being where we could have deliberated and solve the quagmire we find ourselves in. ”We were only briefed about the position of the party. The party told us that they had nominated Alhaji Yahaya Bello and of course we made it clear as the political family of Prince Abubakar Audu that it is not acceptable.
”We are not going with it and I personally observed that my name has been submitted to INEC as deputy governorship candidate to pair with Bello.
”I told the National Chairman in clear words that I have submitted a letter this morning distancing myself from that decision that on no ground will I want to be associated with the decision of the party to pair me with Bello because I am already governor-elect.
”The governor-elect cannot yet become another deputy governorship candidate.” Faleke said he was not consulted on the decision of the party and would not take part in the supplementary election. He said Bello did not take part in any of the campaign processes. He said he would go to court to challenge the INEC decision should the party insist on Bello.
”We are only contesting election in 91 polling units out 2, 548 and we have made it very clear that if they go ahead to conduct the election, it would be challenged in the court of law, it will be null and void. ”Mr Chairman told us directly right away without considering it twice that the party will not go to court and since the party is not going to court we have taken it upon ourselves as our right to defend ourselves in court and we are challenging the decision.”
