[dropcap]L[/dropcap]et me use a layman’s sense to analyse the impasse in Kogi State over the elections.
I am not a lawyer… but sometimes I do wonder.
There was an election. Results were declared for 90% of the votes in major polling units in the state.
The results gave the APC candidate (who later died before the final results were declared) and his running mate, the lead and the win.
The election was declared inconclusive by INEC and a new re-run in just a few polling units is scheduled to be conducted.
By this rerun, INEC already has acknowledged that APC was leading as the party and Audu was the candidate voted for who won.
But the deputy, with which Audu was voted for in a joint ticket, is saying that since it was a joint ticket and Audu and he won, with Audu’s death, he by LAW should be the candidate of the APC in the rerun since the votes were for him and Audu representing the party. He is screaming blue murder against the APC for fielding a new candidate and says he is the one to be sworn in.
Here’s my point; I think Faleke has a very strong point. If INEC is saying the earlier votes were recognised for Audu and APC , it stands to reason that the running mate should be the candidate now for this new rerun. Even if it is argued that the votes are for the party and not the person, the party should have put the running mate forward first before anything else.
The way it is looking, ONLY the Supreme Court can determine this impasse. Wada and the PDP are also crying blue murder that since Audu died and INEC declared the elections inconclusive, then the whole process of the elections have to start all over.
It is a knotty issue. Only the Supreme Court can decide this. No matter what happens, this case must get to the Supreme Court.
But there is another mischievous angle to the Faleke case. He has represented LAGOS STATE at the National House of Representatives which by law makes him a Lagosian. How on earth could he now be the candidate for Kogi State when he has already served as a Lawmaker from Lagos?
Kogi State and APC get wahala, abeg!
Charles Novia is an award-winning filmmaker. He is founder of November Productions and November Records. Connect with him on Facebook.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
