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Tag: Faleke

  • Faleke urges tribunal to declare him governor

    Faleke urges tribunal to declare him governor

    The running mate to the late Prince Abubakar Audu in last year’s governorship election in Kogi State, Mr. James Abiodun Falake, has urged the Election Petition Tribunal to declare him governor.

    He spoke yesterday in Abuja while being led in evidence by his counsel, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN).

    Faleke said: “I confirm to all the documents tendered this morning to be the ones I refer to in my petition.

    “I will like to adopt the documents in my witness statement on oath and as my evidence in the petition.

    “I want the tribunal to accept my petition and grant my reliefs as stated in Paragraph 27 of my witness statement on oath and declare me winner.”

    When asked during cross-examination by the counsel to the first respondent, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), if he was still a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), he said ‘yes.’

    Faleke said: “I am not aware that the second respondent, Governor Yahaya Bello, is a member of the APC. All I know is that the second respondent campaigned and worked for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    “I was also not an aspirant at the primary election, but one of the conditions Audu picked me as his running mate was because I am a member of the APC.”

    He told the tribunal that he did not know any of the candidates who contested with the late Audu.

    Faleke said: “I did not see the result of the primary election because I left the venue, but the next information I heard is that the late Audu won the primary and I was chosen as the running mate.”

    He told the tribunal that the result of the election, which he said he co-won with Audu, was declared in each polling unit and each of the ward’s collation centre.

    Faleke said the death of Audu had nothing to do with the inconclusiveness of the election and that they had won.

    He said he knew they had won the November 21, 2015, governorship election and that was why he did not participate in the December 5 poll.

     

  • Faleke: Court declines PDP’s prayers on service

    Faleke: Court declines PDP’s prayers on service

    The Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday declined an application by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and a member, Olakunle Okunola, on substituted service in a suit filed against the lawmaker representing Ikeja Federal Constituency 1, James Faleke.

    The plaintiffs applied to the court for leave to serve the lawmaker with the processes either by advertising them in a newspaper or paste them on his office walls.

    But Justice Abdulazeez Anka said there was no evidence before him to show that the bailiffs could not serve Faleke personally.

    He directed the bailiff to swear to an affidavit of “non-service” before he would consider the application for substituted service.

    The applicants urged the court to declare that Faleke’s membership of the House of Representatives terminated because his voting data was transferred from Ikeja in Lagos State to Ekinrin-ade Ward of Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State.

    Faleke, who hails from Kogi, was running mate to the late Abubakar Audu, who  died results could be declared.

    The plaintiffs urged the court to declare that the All Progressives Congress (APC) breached Section 37 of the Electoral Act when it nominated Faleke for the March 28, 2015, National Assembly election and nominated him as a running mate in the November 21, 2015, governorship poll in Kogi.

    According to the plaintiffs, Faleke cannot remain a member of the House while nominated as a governorship running mate in another state.

    Faleke, APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are the respondents.

    The plaintiffs prayed for an order of perpetual injunction restraining INEC from reversing or re-transferring Faleke’s voting and membership data from Ekinrin-ade Ward to Ikeja.

    They urged the court to stop Faleke from parading himself as a member of the House of Representatives representing Ikeja.

    Justice Anka adjourned till next Tuesday.

  • Faleke: I wasn’t invited to inauguration

    Faleke: I wasn’t invited to inauguration

    The running mate to the late All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Mr. James Faleke, yesterday said he was not invited to the swearing-in of Mr Yahaya Bello as governor.

    In an interview with Channels TV, Faleke, who is challenging the decision of the APC to choose Bello over him as replacement for the late Audu, said he would not accept the position of deputy governor of the state.

    He said contrary to reports that the party was making efforts to reconcile aggrieved parties in the election, nobody had reached out to him.

    Faleke slammed the National Chairman of the party, Chief John Oyegun, for failing to do what he considered the right thing following Audu’s death.

    He said: “I am speaking before Nigerians and I am making it very clear that nobody reached out to me. Nobody from our party’s national secretariat or the state secretariat of our party ever reached out to me on this issue.

    “The only time they every reached out to me was on December 31… when the chairman of our party announced the decision of the National Working Committee to all of us to say the NWC had adopted Alhaji Yahaya Bello as the governorship candidate for the December 5 election.

     “Thereafter, there was no consultation until today. I want to make it clear that the party chairman, Chief John Oyegun, that we saw as a father has decided to champion a cause that is anti-people. That is why we were not invited (for the inauguration).”

    He argued that his actions did not amount to anti-party activities.

    “For me I see what has happened in the party as a civilian coup d’état. It is a civilian coup d’état because if such a situation happens in the military, those behind it will face the firing squad,” he said, adding that the best way forward was to head to the court.

     “It was Alhaji Yahaya Bello that worked against the party. He took the party to court before the election, took our late leader, Audu to court before the election and he lost his polling unit to PDP, lost his ward to PDP and lost his local government area to PDP.

    “And I made it clear that day (during the meeting) that if 50 per cent of us seated in that hall had lost our polling units, lost our wards and our local governments, there would have been nothing for us to celebrate.”

    Faleke said he had requested Oyegun to get the party to sue INEC to declare the results instead of declaring the November 21 election inconclusive, but the chairman declined, saying the party could not be seen to be taking its own government to court.

  • ‘Uphold Audu/Faleke mandate’

    The Lagos State branch of the Kabba Development Union (KDU) in Kogi State has urged the judiciary to uphold the Audu/Faleke mandate.

    It said the late Abubakar Audu and his running mate, James Abiodun Faleke, traversed the state to canvass votes and having made promises, the people voted for them and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The group, which spoke through its President, Princess Oladepe Omonale, at the weekend at its annual get-together in Lagos, said in the absence of Audu, Faleke was accountable and it was logical that he should be declared and sworn-in as governor.

    An APC chieftain, Adeniyi Ayodele, said Faleke would eventually get the mandate.

    He said he had confidence in the judiciary to do the right thing.

    “Audu/Faleke got our votes. What we deserve is not what we are given, but with time, God will intervene. Even with the swearing-in on Wednesday, we are not disturbed because we know truth will prevail,” Ayodele said.

  • PDP, member, seek Faleke’s sack from House of Reps

    PDP, member, seek Faleke’s sack from House of Reps

    The lawmaker representing Ikeja Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, James Faleke, is no longer qualified to hold the office, the  Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has told the Federal High Court in Lagos.

    The party and a member, Olakunle Okunola, are praying for an order removing him from office.

    According to them, Faleke’s voting data have been transferred from Lagos to Kogi State.

    Therefore, his being a House of Representatives member from Lagos has been invalidated, the plaintiffs said.

    Faleke, who hails from Kogi State, was running mate to the late Abubakar Audu, who was leading at the poll but died before the final result was declared.

    The plaintiffs are urging the court to declare that the All Progressives Congress (APc) breached Section 37 of the Electoral Act when it nominated Faleke for the March 28, 2015 National Assembly election and later nominated him as its deputy governorship candidate for the November 21, 2015 governorship election in Kogi.

    The applicants are urging the court to declare that Faleke’s membership of the House of Representatives had terminated because his voting data had been transferred from Ikeja Federal Constituency of Lagos State to Ekinrin-ade ward of Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State.

    Joined as respondents in the suit are Faleke, APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    The plaintiffs prayed for an order of perpetual injunction restraining INEC from reversing or re-transferring Faleke’s voting and membership data from Ekinrin-ade ward in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State to the Ikeja Federal Constituency 1 of Lagos State.

    The plaintiffs’ counsel, Kingsley Kezie, told Justice Abdulaziz Anka that efforts to serve the court processes on Faleke and APC had proved abortive.

    He urged the court to grant the plaintiff an order to serve the defendants through substituted means at their addresses.

    Justice Anka granted the order to serve APC by substituted means but directed the plaintiffs to go to Kogi State and effect personal service on Faleke.

    He adjourned till January 26 for report of service.

  • I’ve no hand in Faleke’s, Audu’s son’s arrest, says Bello

    Kogi State Governor-elect Yahaya Bello has distanced himself from the arrest of his estranged deputy governor-elect, James Abiodun Faleke and the late Prince Abubakar Audu’s son, Muhammed, by the Department of State Security (DSS).

    The duo were detained by the DSS last Friday, but later released, for undisclosed reasons.

    Bello, in a statement by his media office yesterday, said he never sent a petition against the duo to the DSS.

    The statement, by Jude Salau, reads: “The allegation that I sent a petition to the DSS is false.

    “I did not send any petition to the security department to invite Faleke. The insinuation that I might have written a petition to push for their invitation is false.”

    He said the DSS proved to be a professional body under its leadership and could not be pushed around by an individual or a group.

    “We should strive to support the independence of our security agencies. The agencies of government related to law enforcement and judiciary must be seen as impartial in our desire to build a strong democracy.”

    Salau urged the All Progressives Congress’ (APC’s) members to seek the resolution of the issue “in the interest of our state.”

    Said he: “Faleke is a respected member of the APC, who has contributed to the success of our party. Instigating his arrest cannot be a part of reconciliatory moves and peace building efforts we have initiated ahead of our January 27 inauguration.

    “As we count down towards this historic inauguration of our change government, our focus remains the installation of a responsive and responsible leadership Kogi people will be proud of.

    “We are determined to deliver the dividends of democracy to our people. A new Kogi is here: peace, harmony and an all-round development.”

    Faleke is challenging the emergence of Bello as the governor-elect, following the death of Prince Audu, who was on the verge of becoming a second time democratically-elected governor.

    He approached the tribunal, seeking to be declared a replacement for the late Audu.

  • Faleke: Yahaya Bello lobbying to get backdated INEC card

    Faleke: Yahaya Bello lobbying to get backdated INEC card

    The Audu/Faleke Campaign Organisation has accused Kogi State governor-elect Yahaya Bello of lobbying the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to get a back-dated Permanent Voter Card (PVC).

    The group claimed that prior to the December 5, 2015 supplementary governorship election, the All Progressive Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate was not a registered voter in the state and had filed a petition against his nomination by the APC.

    In a statement by the Director of Publicity, Hon. Duro Meseko, the group claimed it is in possession of the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the PVC register used by the INEC for the November 21 governorship election and the supplementary poll on December 5.

    “We have it on good authority that Yahaya Bello, who was fielded as the governorship candidate of the All Progressive Party (APC) in the December 5 supplementary poll is not a registered voter and this is our prayer in the petition we filled against his nomination by our party as a replacement for the late flag bearer, Prince Abubakar Audu,” the statement said.

    The group warned that any attempt to register Bello “for the purpose of an election that has been held” would be challenged in a court of law.

    “ We heard that the supplementary governor-elect whose name was not in the Permanent Voter Register has been trying to lobby INEC officials to smuggle his name in to the register for the purpose of his defense at the Kogi Governorship Election Petitions’’ Tribunal.

    “This if done, would not only compromise the judicial process but would be inimical to the anti-corruption crusade of the APC-led Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari,” the group warned.

  • Faleke to tribunal: declare me Kogi governor-elect

    Faleke to tribunal: declare me Kogi governor-elect

    •Wants order that the Nov. 21 polls was conclusive
    •Seeks withdrawal of Bello’s Certificate of Return

    The running mate to the late Abubakar Audu, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the November 21 governorship poll in Kogi State has asked the Election Petitions Tribunal to declare him governor-elect.

    In documents filed before the tribunal by his counsel, Hon. James Abiodun Faleke is seeking 12 reliefs, including four orders compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to reverse itself on several decisions concerning the November 21 polls as from the day Audu died.

    Among the reliefs being sought is a declaration that the election to the office of governor of Kogi State of November 21 was valid and that he should be presented with a Certificate of Return as the lawful winner of the election.

    Faleke argued that the supplementary election of December 5, upon which Alhaji Yahaya Bello was declared as governor-elect, was unnecessary. He argued that Bello was not qualified to contest in the first place.

    In the petition which he submitted to the clerk of the tribunal at about 12.20 p.m. in Lokoja on Monday, accompanied by Mohammed Audu, son of the late Audu, Faleke listed INEC and Bello as first and second respondents respectively.

    He said: “The second respondent, who did not register as a voter, who did not vote at the election, who did not present himself to the electorate for votes at the election, who did not participate as a candidate at the election of November 21, 2015 and who did not nominate another candidate as his associate for his running for the office of governor, who is to occupy the office of deputy governor was declared the winner of the election by the first respondent on December 5, 2015.”

    With 25 documents attached in support, Faleke listed two grounds for his petition; the second respondent was, at the time of the election, not qualified to contest, and was not duly elected by the majority of lawful votes cast at the election.

    Faleke also observed that INEC “did not publish any list of candidates who purportedly participated at the supplementary election held on December 5, 2015”.

    He said Yahahya Bello scored only 6,885 votes at the supplementary election held on December 5, far less than the 240,867 votes he (Faleke) and Audu got on November 21.

    Faleke added that INEC added the scores of Dec. 5, to the one of Nov. 21 to get the 247, 752 “which it eventually announced before wrongly and unduly returning the secomd respondent as the winner of the election.”

    He continued: “The second respondent did not register as a voter in his ward and/or at all for the governorship election in Kogi State. He did not nominate or submit to INEC any candidate as his associate for his running for the office of Governor of Kogi State as mandated by the Constitution.”

    Faleke also noted that Form CF002B (ii) submitted by Bello to INEC “on or about November 27, 2015 has no deputy governorship candidate who was to contest along with him.”

    He said he protested INEC’s decision to declare the November 21 election as inconclusive and also informed the first respondent in writing that he was not running, “and would not run, contest or participate in the supplementary election of December 5, 2015 as the associate or deputy governorship candidate of the second respondent.”

    He is seeking that it may be determined and thus declared by the tribunal:

    1. That election to the office of Governor of Kogi State was already conducted, completed and concluded by the 1st respondent on November 21, 2015.
    2. That the 1st respondent’s decision and proclamation that the governorship election held in Kogi State on November 21, 2015 was/is inconclusive, are unconstitutional, illegal, unlawful, arbitrary, null and void, and ultra vires the powers of INEC.

    III. That the 1st respondent was under a duty to declare and pronounce the winner of the concluded governorship election of Kogi State held on November 21, 2015 and make a return accordingly.

    1. That upon the death of Prince Abubakar Audu before taking the oath of allegiance and oath of office, the petitioner who was elected with him as Deputy Governor should be sworn in as Governor of Kogi State.
    2. That the 2nd respondent was at the time of the election to the office of Governor of Kogi State on November 21, 2015, not qualified to contest the election.
    3. That the 2nd respondent was not qualified to contest the office of Governor of Kogi State on December 5, 2015.

    VII. That the second respondent was not elected as Governor of Kogi State by majority of lawful votes cast.

    VIII. That the return of the 2nd respondent by the 1st respondent on December 5, 2015 is unconstitutional, illegal, unlawful, undemocratic, arbitrary, null and void, and also ultra vires the powers of INEC

    1. An order setting aside the 1st respondent’s decision and declaration that the governorship election held in Kogi State on November 21, 2015 is inconclusive.
    2. An order setting aside the Certificate of Return issued by the 1st respondent to the 2nd respondent and dated December 7, 2015.
    3. An order mandating/directing the 1st respondent to issue forthwith, to the petitioner, a Certificate of Return as the person duly elected as Governor of Kogi State pursuant to the election held on November 21, 2015.

    XII. An order of injunction restraining the 2nd respondent from:

    (a) Parading, representing or holding himself out as the Governor-elect

    (b) Parading himself as Governor of Kogi State based on the Certificate of Return issued to him by the 1st respondent and dated December 7, 2015.

    On Monday, Faleke told reporters that he was confident justice would be done in the matter and that he did not join his party, the APC as a respondent in the suit.

     

  • Scores protest in Faleke’s support in Ilorin

    Scores protest in Faleke’s support in Ilorin

    THERE was a peaceful protest yesterday in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, in support of the joint ticket of the late Prince Abubakar Audu and James Abiodun Faleke of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The duo contested the November 21 governorship election in Kogi State.

    Placard-carrying demonstators said the joint ticket qualified APC for the election.

    The protest, tagged: “A walk for Nigerian democracy”, was organised by a civil society organisation, Save Our Democracy Advocates (SODA).

    Some placards read: ‘Kogi election: Prof Jega come back’, ‘Buhari and Malami don’t take us back to the era of election rigging’, ‘Save our democracy’, ‘Nigeria is not a banana republic’, ‘Kogi election was concluded on November 21’, ‘Faleke is Kogi State governor-elect’ and ‘APC don’t rob Peter to pay Paul.’

    Addressing reporters, the SODA Coordinator, Comrade Taiwo Otitolaye, said Faleke remained the custodian of the people’s mandate with the death of Audu, his principal.

    He added: “The APC without Audu/Faleke cannot stand election as an amorphous entity. It is their joint ticket, which qualified the party. More so, the election was contested and won on November 21.

    “We cannot be silent on the Kogi State election impasse created by the diabolical exigencies and treachery of the APC, attorney-general of the federation, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Buhari administration.

    “The Kogi impasse is a critical stage and part of our constitutional and political development in the annals of nation building. As such, we must rise to protect our common destiny.

    “Yahaya Bello to be declared governor-elect on supplementary votes of 6,885 is the height of electoral fraud admissible within the confine of the ethos of banana republic. Subjugated victory cannot be the way forward. The people must act in unison to unmask the conspirators of our collective political destiny. We must resist an attempt to ambush and swindle the people’s mandate.

    “If some people don’t want to see Faleke as an individual, they should go and settle their personal scores; personal issues should not be used to scuttle our democratic processes. Nigeria and Nigerians cannot be hoodwinked into the so-called party supremacy hinged on treachery and underdevelopment.”

    Otitolaye said the protest “is a struggle hinged on Nigeria’s constitutional and political development; a national issue transcending Kogi State, the people and APC as a party. The impasse raises doubt on Nigeria’s genuineness to transit to constitutional democracy and it places on trial the administration’s sincerity to open, accountable and transparent electioneering process.”

  • Making sense out of Kogi: The Audu/Faleke history

    Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters,” so said Albert Einstein, one of the greatest scientists that ever lived.

    Saturday the 21st November 2015, like June 12th 1993 has symbolically become an important day in the history of our democracy. There is no denying the fact that the biggest puzzle that remains unsolved by our current electoral body is the one that will remain a point of reference for so long in the land. Unfortunately, the puzzle was created by same electoral body that is saddled with the responsibility to untie the electoral bottleneck that characterised our electoral system before the advent of Attahiru Jega.

    Where is justice? What becomes of a nation if the Rule of Law is carelessly sacrificed for selfish political interests whereby the electoral body is involved as a party in the rape of justice? What precedence is the current scenario laying for our political future?

    The people of Kogi woke up on the fateful day hoping for liberation by sunset from misrule of Idris Wada of the Peoples’ Democratic Party. That wish was expressed widely via Abubakar Audu/Abiodun Faleke ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress. The people of Kogi saw freedom coming, but the ancient North Central state was openly gagged by the declaration of an already won and lost election inconclusive, following the death that struck the bearer of the hope, Prince Abubakar Audu.

    But all was not lost for Kogi people because the bearer of the torch of hope passed the baton silently to the heir apparent of the mandate (moral and constitutional successor), James Abiodun Faleke.  Silently while passing on, the Prince of Igala Land whispered for justice, handed a trust to Faleke and departed.

    It soon became a funny escapade that INEC suddenly declared that election inconclusive, to submit to a cabal who would produce their anointed candidate to conclude a process he was never part of. We should have passed this indecency. Robbing a dead man is un-African; robbing off the popular wishes of the people is inhumane; and robbing peace and conscience of people that were thirsty of good governance is ungodly.

    Various schools of thoughts have argued for and against INEC’s decision but none of the arguments have defeated the underlying truth of the matter – that a Faleke under the law remains the most senior bearer of APC’s flag in the race, and as long as he is alive, he was supposed to step into Audu’s position for completion of the exercise.

    For justice to prevail, according to Edmund Burke, good men must act otherwise the evil will prevail.

    For many years, the Peoples’ Democratic Party, dominated with cabals, toyed with internal democracy; they rob Peter to pay Paul many times, daring peoples’ feelings and grievance. In the end, the people spoke and opted for a CHANGE. As the ruling party in her 6th month, can we allow interests of masked few to dominate peoples’ strong desire and throw caution into the winds? Can we pass the integrity test as model for building a new Nigeria we envisaged? Can we dare to just do it right by doing the right thing even in the face of a political temptation?

    In words of wisdom, Faleke subtly reminded the party against setting it on a path of destruction through impunity and injustice, adding that APC should learn from what happened to the PDP. He said further that the present struggle was a complex one and beyond him as he was not willing to betray the trust late Abubakar Audu bestowed on him concerning the emancipation of the people and the future of the state.

    Obviously, after said and done, the total number of votes recorded in the supplementary election was a pointer to a mischievous plan which has been daringly executed through political instruments and agents in the system. In the end, I hope the court will excavate justice wherever it might have been buried.

    Abubakar Audu had responsibility to enable power change in Kogi politics which he upheld until his death. For anyone who does not understand the moral right referred to by James Abiosun Faleke in the public address that followed INEC’s decision, a view of the bond between German spies in the 2nd World War in a film titled ‘Operation Daybreak’ tells it all. Trust is never a trust until it was upheld by its custodian after demise of the bond partner.

    There is a great lesson to be learnt from Audu/Faleke scenario though the entire message cannot unfold immediately. The road that leads to justice is laden with difficulties and trial of patience. According to Martin Luther King Jr., human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable. Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering and struggle; the tireless exertion and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.

    For Faleke, I think the walk to justice can be long and rough like the great Mandela once said, but the truth is that in the end, victory is foreseen not just for Faleke but the people of Kogi who are first victims in this circumstance.

    “Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe”,  so said Frederick Douglas.

    The rest is left for our Judiciary, the last hope of common man, to do justice to this anomaly and blatant miscarriage of justice. If we must make sense out of our democracy, the Judiciary has a role to play in this trying moment!

    – Hon SegunOlulade is a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, representing Epe Constituency II