The All Progressives Congress (APC) deputy governorship candidate in the November 21 gubernatorial election in Kogi State, Mr James Abiodun Faleke, yesterday filed a suit at the Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Lokoja to challenge his non declaration as the Kogi governor-elect.
Faleke, who was at the tribunal in company of late Audu’s son, Mohammed Abubakar Audu and other supporters, said he was there to reclaim the Audu/Faleke ticket.
Faleke said he dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before the tribunal to challenge its decision to declare the election inconclusive, maintaining that the election by all standards was concluded and won by the APC on Audu/Faleke ticket.
“I’m here today (yesterday) to approach the tribunal in line with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to ensure an interpretation is given to what happened on November 21.
“We are here to ensure we get our victory back. It is my right to do it,” he said.
Faleke said he was not aware of any reconciliatory moves by the national leadership of the party, stressing that he would pursue his case to a logical conclusion.
Also speaking, Mohammed Audu said his support for Faleke was in line with the decision of elders and family of his late father.
On the seven-day ultimatum issued to him by the Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to declare his current political standpoint, Faleke described such calls as ‘obnoxious’.
He said: “As far as I’m concerned, a party that couldn’t obey its own constitution, a party that was forced to obey its own constitution cannot dare dictate to us”.
Meanwhile, a human right activist, Mr. Emmanuel Owotunse has taken a swipe at Hon. James Faleke for approaching the tribunal over the choice of Alh. Yahaya Bello as the party’s candidate to replace late Prince Abubakar Audu, saying Faleke’s action was an affront to the authority of the party.
Owotunse said the action of the party was based on the fact that Yahaya Bello was the most constitutionally qualified to replace the late Audu.
He said: “Faleke is taking too many wrong steps. His lawyers are surely misleading him into taking decisions that will burn his political fingers.
“Moreso, the fact that Faleke is a close ally of the national leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is raising concerns that the decision of Faleke to go to the tribunal may affect party cohesion as the National Working Committee will surely be disappointed by the new twist in the whole saga.
He added “I am not happy that Faleke is giving a wrong impression of himself. He set out to be Deputy Governor ab initio. Why and when did he become desperate to be the governor of the state? If the party gave him the ticket for the supplementary poll, the tribunal would have nullified his election because he never took part in the governorship primaries. Is he indirectly working for the emergence of PDP?
“Faleke should beware of political jobbers around him who are reaping bountifully from his wrong steps. He should accept the position of his party and move on with his political life”.