The Nation Newspaper

Tag: James Faleke

  • Faleke, Audu’s son invited by DSS

    Faleke, Audu’s son invited by DSS

    It has been confirmed that the Kogi State deputy governor-elect, Hon. James Abiodun Faleke was invited by the Department of State Security, Abuja, for yet undisclosed reasons.

    An aide to Faleke confirmed to our correspondent that Faleke, along with Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, eldest son of the late Prince Abubakar Audu, reported at the DSS headquarters in Abuja early Saturday morning.

    Speaking under the condition of anonymity, the aide said Faleke’s invitation by the DSS might not be unconnected with statements credited to him that he will be unavailable for swearing-in as deputy governor of Kogi State on January 27.

    The Director, Media and Publicity of Audu/Faleke Campaign Organisation, Hon Duro Meseko who also confirmed the invitation and detention said he was surprised when Faleke and Audu were still being kept in an isolated office till yesterday evening.

    His words: “I am surprised my principal and the eldest son of our political leader, Mohammed, are still being kept as I speak with you which is 4pm. What could be responsible for this ill treatment by the DSS? Or could they be acting the intimidation script? Trying to armtwist them into abandoning the sacred mandate freely given to the Audu/Faleke team by the generality of Kogi people?

    “Let me make it abundantly clear that our mandate is sacred and no amount of of technical detention, intimidation and harassment would shake our resolve to get justice through the judiciary.”

    Pressed further on whether the presidency had any connection with their arrest, Meseko said, “I refuse to believe that the presidency has hands in the arrest, but we may not rule out the fact that the powers that be must have wielded their influence in the arrest, but we are not pertubed over the development, because we believe that God will ultimately vindicate us”.

    Faleke had vowed to be deputy to the Kogi governor-elect, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, insisting that he remains the rightful person to have assumed the position, following the demise of Abubakar Audu, at the verge of being declared winner of the November 21, 2015 governorship election in the state.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), was to later declare the election inconclusive, paving way for the emergence of Bello, who was first runner-up at the APC governorship primary.

    Faleke’s petition on the matter is presently before the Kogi State governorship election petition tribunal.

  • Kogi: Faleke files petition at tribunal

    Kogi: Faleke files petition at tribunal

    Mr. James Faleke, running mate to late Abubakar Audu of All Progressives Congress in Nov. 21 governorship poll in Kogi, has filed a petition at the State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal.

    Faleke, accompanied by Mohammed Audu, son of Abubakar Audu, and lawyers, submitted the petition to the clerk of the tribunal at about 12.20 p.m. in Lokoja on Monday

    Hundreds of party members and supporters converged on the state High Court premises, venue of the tribunal, to witness the event.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), however, reports that the Secretary of the tribunal, Mr Akanji Akinlabi, who received the petition, said the contents were yet to become public.

    NAN reports that Faleke is challenging the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC), decision which declared the election inconclusive.

    Faleke told newsmen that he was confident justice would be done in the matter pointing out that he did not join his party, the APC as a respondent in the suit.

    He said he challenged INEC’s decision in declaring the election inconclusive when the result showed that by all standards the election was concluded and won by the APC ticket of Audu and Faleke.

    Mohammed told newsmen that his support for Faleke’s decision to challenge INEC’S decision was in line with the decision of elders and family of his late father.

  • Kogi: Group rejects reconciliatory committee

    Kogi: Group rejects reconciliatory committee

    As  the political crisis rocking Kogi State following the outcome of November 21st governorship poll has refused to die down, a group, Kogi Patriots  has rejected a reconciliatory committee set up by the All Progressive Congress (APC) to resolve the crisis surrounding the poll.

    The group in a statement it issued Thursday in Lokoja which was jointly signed by the national chairman, Dr Ben Agama, the national coordinator, Engr. Joseph Ahmed, as well as Mr. Tunde Badmus, copies of which were made available to journalists described as laughable, the party’s national leadership purported setting up of a committee to reconcile the supposed aggrieved parties, knowing too well that the only acceptable condition for reconciliation is to return “the stolen mandate of Hon. James Faleke who was the joint holder of the mandate given to Prince Abubakar Audu.”

    The group said with the number of votes and local governments won by the Audu/Faleke, it was loud and clear who the state wanted as their governor and deputy respectively.

    They threatened that if the mandate was not returned to Faleke the party will meet unimaginable consequences in the future elections.

  • Kogi poll: Court dismisses Wada, Faleke’s suits

    Kogi poll: Court dismisses Wada, Faleke’s suits

    Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has declined jurisdiction in the suits filed in relation to the dispute on the inconclusive governorship election in Kogi State.

    The judge, in two judgment he delivered on Friday, dismissed the suits filed by the state governor, Idris Wada and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the running mate to the late Abubakar Audu, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), James Faleke, and three others on the ground that his court lacked the jurisdiction to determine the issues raised.

    Justice Kolawole said issue raised were election related and had crossed the “threshold” of matters for the court since results in most of the polling units had been declared.

    He said the suits qualified as a post-election dispute that could only be entertained by the election petition tribunal which would be set up by the President of the Court of Appeal in line with section285(2) of the Constitution.

    The judge said he refrained from looking at the merit of the cases to enable parties re-argued the issues involved at the election petition tribunal.

     

  • Faleke urges court to declare Kogi election ‘as conclusive’

    The deputy governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the November 21 governorship election in Kogi State, James Faleke, has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to among others, declare the election as conclusive.

    In a suit filed on Tuesday by his lawyers, including Wole Olanipekun (SAN) and Femi Falana (SAN), Faleke faulted the decision by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that the election was inconclusive.

    He also faulted INEC’s directive to the APC to substitute its governorship candidate in the election following the death of its earlier candidate, Abubakar Audu.

    Faleke urged the court to among others, order INEC to “make a return following the already announced results in the governorship election.”