James Faleke, the running mate of the deceased Audu Abubakar, in the November 21 Kogi governorship election, has rejected the opportunity to serve as running mate to Yahaya Bello, for the supplementary election of December 5.

Shortly after the Independent National Electoral Commission declared the governorship election as inconclusive, the death of Audu was announced, hence creating a vacuum.

After series of speculation regarding who will emerge the representative of the APC at the supplementary election, the party on Monday, November 30, announced Bello as the candidate and Faleke as his running mate.

But Faleke insists that he is the governor-elect, and that he won’t be taking part in the election.

“We met for more than two hours, but we discovered that the meeting was a mere briefing. The party told us that they have nominated Alhaji Yahaya Bello as the substitute Kogi governorship candidate. But we told them that, that was not acceptable.”

“I have submitted a letter to the party that I will not be paired with Yahaya Bello because, I am governor-elect. I will not be part of the election, and because I have pulled out it will be null and void.”

“We are going to challenge the decision of the party in court. I am not a deputy governor to anybody. They party took the decision and just invited us. I also told him, Mr chairman for us as a family, Kogi state political family we are not taking part in that election, my name cannot be submitted because I was not even consulted in the first instance. ‎The governor elect cannot yet become another deputy governorship candidate.”

“I want to make it very clear that Alhaji Yahaya Bello did not take part in all our campaign process and we are only contesting election in 91 polling units out 2, 548 there about polling units and we have made it very clear that if they go ahead to conduct election because I have pulled out that election would be challenged in the court of law, it will be null and void.”

“We won’t be addressing you today if the party out of honour and the path of honour we championed there is for the party to go to court and challenge INEC and Mr Chairman told us directly right away without considering it twice that the party will‎ not go to court and since the party is not going to court we have taken it upon ourselves as our right to defend ourselves in court and we are challenging the decision.”

Kolapo Olapoju