Election tribunal throws out Faleke’s petition

The Kogi State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal this Monday upholds the election of Governor Yahaya Bello, while dismissing the petition brought before it by James Faleke, member of House of Representatives, representing Ikeja federal constituency, Lagos State, in the National Assembly, challenging Bello’s election. The tribunal had dismissed Faleke’s case on the ground that he has no locus standi to file the petition.

Judgment on the petitions by the other parties will be delivered on Wednesday, while that of former Governor Idris Wada against Yahaya Bello will be delivered on Tuesday (tomorrow).

Faleke, the running mate of the initial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Abubakar Audu, had gone to the Tribunal seeking his declaration as the valid APC candidate for the supplementary election and his declaration as Governor after the death of Audu.

Faleke had argued that with the death of Audu on the day the results of the initial election was being announced, he should have stepped into the shoes of Audu.

Faleke, in the joint ticket with Audu in the governorship election, had already won the election except that their official victory was not announced before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) could complete the collation of the results when Audu suddenly died on the day of their victory.

INEC declared the election inconclusive and asked the APC to nominate a replacement for the deceased on the counsel of the Minister of Justice. Bello was nominated and he selected

Faleke as his deputy with the latter refusing the selection.

Faleke refused to abide by the decision of the party and approached the tribunal asking it to declare him governor elect.

The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Idris Wada, and other smaller parties such as th Labour Party and the African Democratic Congress, ADC, also approached the tribunal asking it to remove Bello.