The All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday finally settled for Alhaji Yahaya Bello (Fair plus)) as its new candidate for next Saturday’s supplementary governorship election in Kogi State.
Bello was confirmed the choice of the party for the late Abubakar Audu’s replacement after leaders of the party rose from a meeting that lasted for about two hours at the APC national secretariat. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) confirmed yesterday that it has received the nomination of Bello as APC’s replacement for Audu ahead of the supplementary governorship election. Yahaya 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.
Rep. James Faleke, running mate to the late Abubakar Audu, who participated in the November 21 governorship election in Kogi, has rejected the party’s decision to present Yahaya Bello for the December 5 supplementary election. INEC declared the November 21 election as inconclusive following the cancellation of voting in 91 polling units across the state
Faleke said on Monday, 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.”
He said he would go to court to challenge the INEC decision should the party insist on Bello. James Faleke yesterday singlehandedly picked one of the late Audu’s son, Mohammed, as his running mate for the supplementary governorship poll in the state.
