Oyegun may bleed from Kogi substitution imbroglio
Odigie-Oyegun
WOULD a new governor be sworn into office by default in Kogi State on January 27, 2016? Or could a court injunction suspend the exercise pending the determination of various suits challenging the conduct of the supplementary governorship election, especially the substitution of the deceased flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC)?
Another curious legal puzzle that could affect the inauguration of a new administration in the state, is what percentage ratio does the party platform hold in the election of a governor? Against the background of the ongoing disputations over the elongated governorship election in the confluence state, indications have emerged that the ruling APC may review the actions of its National Working Committee (NWC). The Guardian gathered that the unsavoury development in the Kogi confusion might rub off negatively against the tenure of the national chairman, Chief John Odigie Oyegun.
Sources within the national headquarters of the APC confided in The Guardian, that majority of party chieftains, especially those from the southern part of the country view the actions of the national chairman with “disgust and disbelief”. They regretted that at a critical point in the party’s progression, Oyegun showed lack of moral strength and understanding of the issues involved pointing out that the national chairman was doodling and shuffling in search of body language to interpret in taking decisions on the Kogi substitution politics. “For instance, most leaders have come to the conclusion that the claim by Oyegun and few others that the decision to adopt Alhaji Yahaya Bello was based on the expert advice of APC lawyers, the decision was actually meant to satisfy the dictate of a powerful figure in the presidency,” the sources hinted.
Contrasting Oyegun’s chairmanship with that of the interim administration of former Governor Bisi Akande, the sources narrated that while it was easy to know where Akande stands on issues regarding political disagreements; Oyegun prevaricates trying to “flow with every argument, only to end up supporting the views of powerful persons”. The prominent APC stalwarts noted that apart from the technical challenge of getting a substitute in the election, there were other moral and political consideration that ought to influence the party’s judgment lamenting that instead of taking those issues into consideration, Oyegun rushed into bringing in Bello forgetting that the joint ticket of Audu and James Faleke had laboured together to produce the tentative victory in the inconclusive governorship poll.
Contending that the principle of first refusal ought to take precedence over the search for technical correctness, the party faithful declared that the party has been subjected to avoidable misperception owing to the effeminate leadership of the national chairman who they accused of preferring to preserve his job to doing the right things. The sources added that a situation similar to Rivers State governorship disputation between former Governor Rotimi Amaechi and Celestine Omehia, has been foisted on APC pointing out that whatever the desirability or outcome of the supplementary poll, only the Supreme Court would determine who is the right custodian of the APC mandate.
Some other APC insiders claimed that Oyegun seems to be pandering to the whims of the presidency to avert his planned replacement with Governor Adams Oshiomhole. Others say he was cleverly distancing himself from the political camp of the former Lagos governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
Based on the body of what could be termed new thinking in the Kogi governorship impasse, it could be seen that the failure of the federal High Court, Abuja to assume jurisdiction and determine the issue of the supplementary poll, places further strain on the parties to the election. APC, it could be said therefore, seems to be gambling with the victory it won halfway before the supplementary poll.
Should the Supreme Court, which stands as the final arbiter in governorship election disputes, annul the participation of APC for fielding a fresh candidate to pair with an imposed running mate, the party would have itself to blame. Should that possibility happen, the Bello camp would have been left in the lurch! Without reflecting on the appropriate constitutional authorities that forbade the court from stopping the conduct of election by INEC, the Bello Support Organization, supporters of the governor-elect commended the judiciary for saving democracy in Kogi by rejecting the prayers to restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from organising the make-up poll. Without mentioning Faleke, the group in a communiqué it released shortly after the court ruling, noted: “On November 21, the people of this state voted for the All Progressives Congress in an election that was acclaimed as free and fair.”
But as if to show that the crisis over the APC ticket may not abate soon, supporters of Audu’s running mate in the election, Faleke, stormed the state headquarters of INEC insisting that their principal ought to be declared governor on the strength of the votes announced after the November 21 balloting. Made up of mainly old and young women, the supporters blamed INEC for not announcing a winner after the election.
Speaking through their leader, Mrs. Folashade Joseph, the female protesters laid the blame for the confusion trailing the governorship election in the state at the door step of INEC insisting that only the commission could solve it by recognizing that Faleke, who appeared on the ballot alongside Audu secured substantial votes of Kogi people on November 21, is the winner of the election. The women held that “INEC deliberately set the state on fire; we have over 2,400 polling units in Kogi State. We do not understand why INEC will say election was inconclusive just because of 91 polling units.” They argued that with only 49,000 out of over 500,000 people who voted in the state, out of which only 25,000 have permanent voters’ cards to vote, expected votes cannot be up to 25,000.
The protesters added: “APC is leading with over 41,000; having won 16 local governments out of 21, which shows that the party was victorious in the election and INEC should have clearly declared the election concluded and announced APC winner. We are going to sit out here till INEC reverse itself by doing the right thing and announce that Audu/Faleke won; they won for APC, they have a joint ticket.”
Perhaps, strengthened by that line of reasoning, it was not easy ascertaining the position of Faleke on the make-up poll. Can INEC act upon the earlier list submitted to it by APC having Faleke as Audu’s deputy in the succeeding poll? Faleke had severally denounced any subservient position to Bello adding that he remains the governor-elect by virtue of the death of his former principal. He made his withdrawal from a joint ticket with Bello known to INEC through a letter where he also disclosed that Alhaji Bello did not take part in the electioneering campaigns that gave Audu/Faleke and APC victory on the November 21 poll. In the letter sighted by The Guardian, Faleke said he was also challenging the commission’s decision of declaring the election inconclusive in the first instance.
As the controversy over the APC ticket rages, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) insists that its candidate, Captain Idris Wada, (rtd) should be declared winner of the election arguing that APC has lost its right to further participation in the poll having failed to fulfill the constitutional requirement of fielding a running mate to the governorship candidate. PDP also maintained that APC had no constitutional sanction to introduce a fresh candidate midway into the election pointing out that the substitute having not canvassed for votes or joined issues in the electoral contest remains a total stranger to voters that voted in the first election.
In a statement, the party’s national publicity secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, said PDP would challenge the imposition to the highest court in the land adding that Kogi has shown the undemocratic qualities of the ruling party. Calling on Nigerians to rise up and speak out against the emerging despotism of APC, PDP said that since INEC could not cancel the election, the candidate with the next highest number of votes at the November 21 election should be sworn into office since the APC votes died with its late candidate, Audu.
After the supplementary election, parties to the Kogi governorship would move over to the different levels of the nation’s judiciary to test the various thoughts on the unforeseen developments in the election.
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25 Comments
Tinubu and Faleke are murderers and they shall have no rest!!!
No any juppiters can stop the governor elect Bello….this is Utimate change for the people of Ebira and Kogi in general
NA Tribal War B dis? lol
This is politics and common sense, Lets be civilized!
Kogi’s inevitable governor is the one with the other half of the ticket at the first poll, James Faleke. Bello’s substitution by the APC is an act of impunity of unreasoning and it will be declared by law as an exercise in futility.
APC had lost this election to PDP by not supporting Faleke. When Audu died, his deputy was the right person
to take his position and choose his own running mate. Now I think Idris Wada is the winner because only his
party’s ticket got to the finishing line.
Please APC fill another candidate as running mate to Governor elect
Yahaya Bello , I suggest former speaker (Clarance olunrunfemi) . He is
nice man that make kogi to move forward. In my opinion, Lagosian that
contested with Faleke for House of Representative should replace faleke
since He is no more a Lagosian by virtue of transferring voting right to
kogi state. He cannot eat his cake and have it back. The position of
House of Representative in lagos that faleke occupied before should be
declared vacant by INEC. OR the PDP candidate that contested with him be
declared as HOUSE OF Representative from Lagos
You have spoken my mind.
you obviously don’t understand Nigeria’s constitution, and politics.how can INEC declare Faleke’s seat at the National Assembly vacant and transfer it to PDP lol ! dude dat can only be done if fakele is recalled from d constituency he represents, and then a bye-election ll now take place to choose another candidate from that constituency from APC camp. hope you have learnt?
One thing is clear the Supreme Court in its role can deal with mostly constitutional issues. Another thing to consider is that there is no law for this kind of situation in Kogi State governorship election. The court of last resort cannot and should not be picking winner and loser where there is no law to guide its if we do want a politicized court competing with the other arms of government. APC is a private organisation engaging in the business of participating in politics, owner of tallied electoral votes of its flag-bearers, and an open organisation for Nigerians to join. Is there a bye-law in the APC that is wrongly interpreted and in violation of constitutional rights of Faleke? INEC’s immediate customers are the political parties, not an individual contestant in election. So this is a private business issue in which Oyegun must answer the stakeholders whether there are northern forces who do not want a Yoruba-named Governor in their region or not.
Lagosian cannot become governor in Kogi state!
Guardian Newspaper, we all know where you stand.There is no issue here. Simole, faleke should go back to lagos because he cant represent Lagos at national assembly and also govern kogi state simultaneously. Yahaya Bello is the answer for now..
Hurrray!!! It’s your birthday, I think you’re drunk. If the party owns the vote of Audu- the real candidate, then anyone from the party could go to court to challenge the authority of the Yahaya at any time he go contrary to the party leaders. Notice this, the INEC will never say in this case that which is their norm and constitutional practice in declaring a winner that, “this candidate, having garnered the majority of votes at the polls; and have met the requirements is declared winner….” If you still have a little sense of comprehension maybe you can see how your Yahaya fits into this pronouncements. If at all you know the requirements and if you don’t, a google search is not needed for you to see so crystal clear that the person with the size of the polls is no more and how how Yahaya got to take over from there I don’t understand. If Yahaya is being fixed then he’s starting afresh- fresh elections. They had different perspectives of issues, I suppose that’s why the party went for Audu and not him in the primaries. How come the Dreams of Audu/Faleke suddenly becomes his?
Hurry up for the birthday.you too should prepare yourself for your BURIAL ceremony because you may commit suicide after the swearing ceremony of Yahaya Bello. I believe you need deliverance so that your eyes can open and see the truth.who is faleke in kogi politics? If you still have sense,I know you are senseless,You should know that your faleke can never rule kogi state. Moron like you need to be delivered so that you can be of useful to the society. A normal human being knows that Yahaya Bello is the answer.
Faleke has no dream in Kogi state! He was brought in by his popular Godfather. APC is like a moving bus from Lagos to Ilorin, Audu being a driver and Faleke a conductor brought for tutelage under Audu. Driver Audu earlier contested with another driver Yahaya Bello before his demise at Ogbomosho. What should you do in that scenario? You bring the other driver to complete the journey! Faleke remain a conductor for tutelage under the new driver that completes the journey. Mind you Faleke never aspire to be Governor of Kogi state. Faleke never contested the inconclusiveness of the election until Audu’s demise was announced. Yahaya Bello aspired, expressed interest, bought APC gubernatorial form, campaigned across the 21 LGA of Kogi state and participated in the APC primary election. He congratulated Audu but complained to APC appeal panel that Audu did not resign from BOT. The panel recommended that Audu be disqualified and replaced with first runner up Yahaya Bello but unfortunately that was not carried out. Where was Faleke during this period? He was not even a delegate or in anyway present in Lokoja during the primary. Please tell Faleke to go back to Lagos. If Lagosians are fools, Kogites are not.
Is there any law forbidding that or you now arrogate to yourself the power to make laws for Nigeria.
The Mayor of London ran & worn a sit in Parliament in the last election. He is currently keeping both positions. He will remain mayor until after the next Mayoral elections.
Faleke can keep his sit in NASS until he is sworn in as governor of Kogi State. There is no law against that.
We are talking of Nigeria u were talking of USA. If Tinubu likes him so much,he could have allowed him to contest for Lagos state governor.Kogi is not for the likes of Faleke. Period..
Nigerian democracy was borrowed from UK & USA.
Faleke is entitled to do what he like with or without Tinubu.
He is an adult & responsible for his own actions.
Please do not deride people as if they have no mind of their own.
He can do what he likes but not in Kogi state.advise him to take the deputy governorship post before Yahaya gives another interested person. Faleke is chasing a shadow,and u know what.he will fail.
Please lets wait for the Supreme Court to decide who is the rightful heir to Audu’s victory. We are only having our say.
It is not for any one else to decide who succeed to Kogi governorship following the demise of Audu.
Faleke did not bring himself to kogi state but he was single-highhandedly dragged from Lagos by Tinubu to run with the late Audu.
Faleke is qualified & entitled to be governor of Kogi State that was why he was picked by those who appreciated his worth.
Zik an Igbo man worn election to Western house of assembly Ibadan in 1953 before primitive tribal politics took over Nigeria.
What Kogi need is good governance & equity. Faleke would be governor of Kogi State if the Courts says so.
If the law of UK allow that we cannot take it in Nigeria!
If INEC and APC are CLUELESS as to who should be next governor, then I offer this ‘naija advice’ without prejudice. Take James Faleke (APC) join Wada (PDP) and form a Government of Unity. After all, what is the difference between APC and PDP? Highest Common Factor (HCF) = looting our treasury. Chikina!
…but how can Faleke b eligible 2 vote in Lagos n Kogi,in d same dispensation, i dont just get it
It was Audu VS Wada, the fight was a straight fight between two people, for one position. Though Audu had gathered more points, but he suddenly fell down and died as the fight was still on. It was a technical knock out. The deputies do not matter here because they were only at that stage onlookers who can at best urge their masters to fight harder to win. Idris Wada is the governor-elect base on the majority of the sustainable valid votes in the election as finally concluded by INEC.
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Oyegun is damaging , our party with his reckless decision even, if Buhari told him to to put Mr Bello as the gubernatorial candidate of the party he should have used his professional will to tell him No,He is behaving like the opposition party,You know the consequence of that.I hope Faleke will pursue the whole thing to the supreme court ,Then those that make this bad decision will know what they have done
We will review and take appropriate action.