We have certainly not heard the last on the ‘Abiku-like’ Kogi governorship election. And firing the latest salvo is no other person than the APC Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.
During an interactive session with the media on Wednesday, December 9, 2015, the one time Governor of Edo State, released what could pass as a warning to Hon. James Abiodun Faleke. Hear him: ‘On the Faleke issue, it is rather a straight forward issue. We have replaced a governorship candidate. If the need arises, and subject to what the law says, we will also get a deputy governorship candidate, but we will cross those bridges as they arise, but they have not arisen yet…’
Faleke, a member of the Federal House of Representatives, it would be recalled, had contested the Saturday, November 21, 2015 Kogi governorship election with Prince Abubakar Audu as his deputy. Both of them were cruising home to victory when INEC declared the election inconclusive. While still trying to come to terms with that, a bigger calamity befell them as Audu died!
Thinking that his party will upgrade him by replacing him with Audu, he was surprised when they opted for Yahaya Bello instead. Bello came second in the APC guber primaries. He protested, but obviously didn’t get the response he was expecting. So, he took his party to court, insisting that ‘monkey no go work for baboon to chop’, like we say in our local parlance here.
Undaunted, the party forged ahead with Yahaya, who emerged victorious at the supplementary election conducted on Saturday, December 5. Not only that, the Independent National Electoral Commission has also handed him the Certificate of Return. This was done by Prof. Anthonia Akoosi-Simbine, the INEC Commissioner for the State, in Lokoja, Kogi State capital, same Wednesday, December 9.
With his fate looking almost sealed with all that has transpired so far, APC Chairman, Odigie-Oyegun is now saying that Faleke should accept to be Bello’s deputy or forget it. Albeit indirectly.