Faleke’s group rejects APC peace move

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December 18, 2015

    

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James Faleke. The crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress in Kogi State in the aftermath of the November 21 governorship election has assumed a new dimension as a group within the party, Kogi Patriots, on Thursday, rejected a reconciliatory committee set up by the APC.

The group rejected the committee, insisting that the only condition for reconciliation was to declare James Faleke, who was the running mate of the late Prince Abubakar Audu , as the governor-elect.

The group said this in a statement in Lokoja jointly signed by its National Chairman, Dr. Ben Agama; the National Coordinator, Joseph Ahmed; and Mr. Tunde Badmus.

It said that with the number of votes and local government areas won by Audu/Faleke which was 16 out of 21, it was clear who the people of the state wanted as their governor and deputy respectively

It will be recalled that Audu died on the verge of victory at the governorship election which later created a vacuum that led to the supplementary election that produced the runner-up in the APC primary, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, as the governor-elect.

The group, which claimed it was not being sponsored by anybody said in the last election it mobilised voters nationwide to vote massively for President Muhammadu Buhari when it became obvious that the then President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party had lost focus.

The group therefore threatened that if the mandate was not returned to Faleke, the party would suffer grave consequences in future elections.

The National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, had on Thursday held a closed-door meeting with party leaders from Kogi East Senatorial District.

Odigie-Oyegun initiated the meeting as part of efforts to broker peace between supporters of Bello and members of the political family of the late Audu, the party’s original standard bearer who died before the conclusion of the November 22, 2015, election.

Political leaders, led by the Kogi State APC Chairman, Mr. Haddy Amefuo, attended the meeting.

It was learnt that Odigie-Oyegun used the opportunity of the meeting to explain some of the tough choices the party leadership was compelled to make following the death of Audu.

According to him, one of such decisions was the decision to pick Alhaji Yahaya Bello, as replacement for late Audu.

He explained that the party was left with no choice but to pick Bello, who came second in the primary, to avoid a legal backlash which could be capitalised upon by the opposition PDP.

The APC’s Assistant Director, (Publicity) Edegbe Odemwingie, quoted Odigie-Oyegun as saying, “I don’t think that it is right to think that the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress took a decision and thereafter turned its back; we will not do that.”