ALTHOUGH the All Progressives Congress (APC) was yesterday declared the winner of the Kogi State governorship election that was concluded at the weekend, intra-party wrangling is apparently dampening the celebration that should follow the electoral victory.
The running mate to the late Abubakar Audu, the APC candidate in the November 21 governorship election and deputy governor-elect James Abiodun Faleke, yesterday insisted that he would not be deputy to the governor-elect, Yahaya Bello.
Bello, who replaced the late Audu, for last Saturday’s supplementary election held in 91 polling units, was in the early hours of yesterday declared winner of the polls by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Basking in the euphoria of victory, Bello explained his acceptance to replace Audu as an act of obedience to party supremacy. He insisted that Falake remained his deputy since his position as running mate was not affected.
Bello who spoke to reporters in reaction to his victory as the winner of the supplementary election said Faleke remained the deputy-governor elect as the position was never vacant.
His words: “The former candidate of the party died. INEC requested the party to substitute, and I was chosen to fill the gap. The space of the running mate was never vacant. So if I respond to run on that platform, I don’t think I have any choice but to respect the decision of the party.”
His words: “The former candidate of the party died. INEC requested the party to substitute, and I was chosen to fill the gap. The space of the running mate was never vacant. So if I respond to run on that platform, I don’t think I have any choice but to respect the decision of the party.”
Bello who was dressed in an all white traditional garb called agbada said his reaction to the results was that of ecstasy. However, he said the jubilation was low-keyed because of the death of Abubakar Audu who he described as their great leader.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described as a waste of time and scarce national resources and a ridiculous shadow-chasing, the action of INEC in declaring Bello the governor-elect.
The PDP said INEC, in the bid to satisfy the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC Federal Government, succeeded only in making a mockery of itself and the entire electoral process, by trying to illegally install an individual who, apart from not being a valid candidate, scored, under his name, a paltry 6,885 vote in the so-called supplementary election as
against the 204,877 votes polled by the PDP candidate, Governor Idris Wada in the overall election.
against the 204,877 votes polled by the PDP candidate, Governor Idris Wada in the overall election.
PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, in a statement on Sunday said that “the action of INEC in trying to transfer the votes earlier garnered by the dead APC candidate, Prince Audu Abubakar to another
individual is completely impractical and alien to the nation’s Constitution and the Electoral Act.”
individual is completely impractical and alien to the nation’s Constitution and the Electoral Act.”
Faleke had sued the INEC and others for declaring the November 21 polls inconclusive and sought to stop the supplementary election but lost the case on Friday when the Federal High Court, Abuja Division insisted that only election tribunals had jurisdiction on such matters.
