Tag Archives: Abiodun Faleke

APC Constitutes Committee To Replace Faleke As Bello’s Deputy

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Ahead of today’s inauguration of Alhaji Yahaya Bello as the governor of Kogi State, All Progressive Congress, APC, has raised a committee to find replacement for the unwilling deputy- governor elect , Mr. James Abiodun Faleke.

 

 

Similarly, APC leaders from Kogi East have distanced themselves from media reports endorsing one Gowon Usman Egbunu as Deputy Governor, claiming the purported endorsement was forged.

 

 

This came as chieftain of APC, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, said the inauguration of Alhaji Bello as the governor of Kogi State, was an aberration that would be addressed by the Supreme Court in the fullness of time.

 

 

The Committee, “Kogi West committee for selection of Deputy governor”, is expected to submit its report to the party’s national secretariat within the week.

 

 

It was gathered however that the committee has penciled down Mrs. Justina Abanida, Dr David Atte and Mr. Kola Bamisaye, for consideration.

 

 

 

According to reports by Vanguard, the Committee headed by Mr. Samuel Mogbole narrowed the list from initial seven to the three based on their political strength and contributions to the party in time past.

 

 

Mrs. Abanida who hails from Egbe, Yagba West local government, is a prominent politician and was Attorney- General of the state between 1994 and 1996.

 

 

Dr Atte on his part, was once the Commissioner for Education in the defunct Kwara State, and hails from Itakete-Ide in Mopamuro Local Government area of the state.

 

 

Though not much is known in the political scene about Bamisaye until now, but works at the National Assembly commission in Abuja.

 

 

In a related development, A cross section of APC leaders from Kogi East told Vanguard that the purported endorsement of Egbunu was not a part of the resolution of the meeting of the Kogi East caucus.

 

 

Some of the leaders who confirmed to Vanguard that they never discussed the Deputy Governorship issue nor endorsed anyone. Those who spoke were Sule Amodu, Yahaya Meyanga, Peter Akasakowa, Friday Adejoh and Jubril Usman.

According to them, a purported endorsement clause was smuggled into their resolutions by perceived “self-serving politicians.”

 

 

 

Meanwhile, Igbokwe, who is the Publicity Secretary of the party in Lagos State, while speaking in his personal capacity on his Facebook page, described Bello as an interloper, who was foisted on the state by vested interests.

 

 

 

He contended that it was wrong for the national and state chapter of the APC to choose Bello as a replacement for the late Prince Abubakar Audu, claiming the former’s loyalty to

PDP Urges Court To Sack Faleke As APC Lawmaker

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The Peoples Democratic Party has approached a Federal High Court in Lagos, seeking an order to remove James Faleke as the lawmaker representing the Ikeja Federal Constituency of Lagos State in the House of Representatives.

 

 

The suit with reference number FHC/L/08/1680/15 was filed by a PDP member, Olakunle Okunola, with the PDP listed as the second plaintiff.

 

 

Okunola and the PDP are urging the court to declare that the All Progressives Congress breached Section 37 of the Electoral Act when it nominated Faleke for the March 28, 2015 National Assembly election and later nominated the same politician as its deputy governorship candidate for the November 21, 2015 governorship election in Kogi State.

 

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 the Ikeja Federal Constituency of Lagos State to Ekinrin-ade ward of the Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State.

 

 

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

 

The plaintiffs are seeking an order of perpetual injunction restraining INEC from reversing or returning Faleke’s voting and membership data from Ekinrin-ade ward in the Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State to his Lagos State constituency.

 

 

They urged the court to stop Faleke from parading himself as a member of the House of Representatives representing Ikeja Federal Constituency 1 in the House of Representatives.

 

 

The plaintiffs’ counsel, Kingsley Kezie, who appeared before Justice Abdulaziz Anka, on Wednesday, said all efforts to serve the court processes on Faleke and APC had proved abortive.

 

 

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

 

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

 

 

He adjourned till January 26, 2016.

 

 

Credit : Punch

Kogi APC In Dilemma Over Faleke’s Rejection Of Deputy Governorship

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Political kingpins in Kogi State have gone back to the drawing board to reconfigure the state’s political positions following the final decision of the state’s Deputy Governor-elect, Hon. James Faleke to absent himself at next week’s inauguration ceremony.

 

The governor-elect, Alhaji Yahaya Bello and chieftains of the All Progressives Congress, APC, are at a cross roads over the push by stakeholders from the Igala speaking Kogi East district for the office of deputy governor to be zoned to them on the grounds that as the largest senatorial district they cannot be left out of the first two positions in the state.

 

Bello is from Kogi Central while Faleke is from Kogi West.

 

 

Vanguard was reliably informed by sources close to Faleke on the final decision not to partake in the inauguration ceremony scheduled for January 27.

 
“As far as we are concerned, Faleke is not the Deputy Governor-Elect to Alh. Bello, but the late Prince Abubakar Audu who won the governorship election before he died. Faleke is the only person who is qualified to inherit Audu’s votes because the ticket was a joint property.

 

“We are not bothered about plans for inauguration because it has no impact on us. Let them do their inauguration while we pursue our case in court. At the end of the day, the law will determine the rightful occupant of Lugard House,” they said.

 

The sources also informed that Faleke has no plans of disrupting the inauguration, saying, “as a man of peace, our principal has confidence in the judiciary to resolve the Kogi impasse.”

 

Given the determination of Faleke to abstain himself, the party it was gathered has commenced the search for a replacement for the office of deputy governor.

 

 

Credit : Vanguard

Group Urges INEC To Declare Faleke’s House Of Reps Seat Vacant

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A group, Ikeja Stakeholders’ Forum, ISF, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission,INEC, to declare the House of Representatives seat of the running mate to the late Prince Abubakar Audu in Kogi State, Mr. Abiodun Faleke vacant.

 

A statement by its coordinator, Mr. Olanrewaju Osundairo warned that should the commission fail to do so, the group would resort to legal action.

 
The statement partly reads: ‘’By virtue of the fact that Faleke had transferred his franchise away from Lagos to Kogi State, he ceases to be a member of the constituency. He lacks the moral and legal rights to speak for us in Ikeja at the lower legislative chambers.”

 
It further stated that the decision of the lawmaker to contest the governorship has impacted negatively on the representation of the area in the lower chambers, saying the trend must be reversed in the interest of the people of the area.

 
“You don’t need anyone to tell you that Hon. Faleke has been distracted from representing us at the House of Representatives, all that concerns him now is how to become the governor of Kogi State and not to represent us.”

 
INEC fails to act, we will compel them to do the needful using the judiciary.”

 

 

Credit : Vanguard

Groups Accuse Faleke Of Plotting Violence In Kogi

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A social right group, Kogi United for Justice said it has uncovered plan by James Faleke and his supporters to throw Kogi State into chaos ahead of the January 27, 2016 swearing-in ceremony in the state.

 
In a statement made available to press men in Lokoja, Sunday, the group called on security agencies in the state to ensure the safety of people in the state, especially in the capital city of Lokoja.

 
According to the release, huge sums of money have been earmarked for the sponsored crisis.

 
“In as much as we have chosen the path of reconciliation and constructive engagement at appeasing aggrieved parties, we cannot afford to keep mum in the face of planned political terrorism against our dear state.
“Information at our disposal revealed that after succeeding in foisting crisis on the legislative arm of government, Faleke and his loyalists are planning to cause crisis in the state in the guise of violent protests to make the state look unsafe.
“We are of the opinion that the different interests in the Kogi political impasse will trust the judiciary enough to act fearlessly in favour of the law and therefore, it is antithetical to resort to violence to achieve goals. Kogi State belongs to all and we will not sit by to watch those who have no stake in the survival of Kogi destroy our unity and peace.
“Their plan to wage violence on the very people they want to govern is further testimony of their non-committal spirit to the peace, oneness and development of our dear state. We have it on good authority that they have started recruiting thugs from two South Western states who will be used to disturb the peace of the state.
“To cover-up their nefarious plan, they have also designed some self-attack against some leaders in their group, who would then turn round to accuse the people’s Governor-Elect for the attack.
“We hereby urge Faleke to abide by the decision of the party and not set his political home ablaze. We urge Alh. Yahaya Adoza Bello to be prepared to hit the ground running and bridge the ethnic, socio-political cum economic gap in the state”.
The statement also urged Faleke to discard the option of violence and attacking eminent leaders of the state in the process of ventilating his grievances, saying, “it is time to mulch our new found unity and aspiration to build a new Kogi State where opportunities abound for development and prosperity”.
In a related development, the Kogi State Coalition of All Progressives Congress APC support groups in the last governorship election in the state, has alleged plans by Hon Abiodun James Faleke supporters to destabilize the state.
The accusation was made in lokoja, the state capital by tthe chairman of the coalition, Comrade Ojene Aliyu.

 
Aliyu alleged that Hon Faleke’s supporters are planning to incite some ethnic groups within the party to frustrate the incoming government of Alh Yahaya Bello, knowing well that he will lose at the tribunal.

 
He added, “Faleke is working against the party, all in a desperate bid to rule the state at all cost.
“We ccommend the Governor-Elect for his maturity. Hehas displayed a rare leadership quality which is second to none as he has repeatedly said he wont join issues with Faleke”, Aliyu said.

 
He also urged the people of the state not to allow themselves to be used by desperate politicians who want to actualize their ambitions by hook or crook in the state.

 
In the same vein, a social media campaign platform, TF has called on security agencies in the country to put Hon. James Abiodun Faleke under surveillance as his supporters have continued to threaten the peace of the state.

 
The group condemned the defacing of some billboards in Lokoja by people suspected to be Faleke’s supporters and called on the police to investigate the threat by the Faleke Solidarity Forum to occupy Kogi if Faleke was not declared Governor-Elect, saying such threat was an affront to the Nigerian constitution.

 

 

Credit : Vanguard

I Will Not Be Available For Swearing In With Bello, says Faleke

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The All Progressives Congress’ (APC) deputy governorship candidate in Kogi, Mr Abiodun Faleke, says he will not make himself available for swearing in with Alhaji Yahaya Bello on January 27, 2016.
Faleke stated this at a meeting of APC stakeholders in Kogi West Senatorial District in Kabba, Kogi State on Monday
He explained that this was in furtherance of his earlier letter to the national leadership of the party not to work with Bello, then governorship candidate.
Faleke, who was reacting to resolutions reached at the meeting that he should pursue the legal option to a logical conclusion, held that the Audu/Faleke ticket remained intact and unchanged.
“I will not disappoint Prince Abubakar Audu. I, James Abiodun Faleke will not be there for the swearing in if we don’t finish the case before the Jan. 27, 2016.
“Nobody consulted me before making me a deputy to Bello. Bello too did not consult me. I have made my position known to the party leadership on this. I am not ready to betray and disappoint Prince Abubakar Audu”, he said.
He exonerated President Mohammadu Buahri from the crisis, saying that Buhari he knows cannot be a party to injustice and outright violation of the rule of law.
Faleke warned the leadership of the party against setting it on a path of destruction through impunity and injustice, adding that they should learn from what happened to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

 
He said the present struggle was a complex one and beyond him, saying that it was about emancipation of the people and the future of the state.
While asking the people not to fight or castigate anybody over the development, Faleke said those who are fighting in 2015 for positions in 2019 were trying God.
“People are fighting for 2019 in 2015. Are they God? What is happening is beyond hunan imagination’’, he said.
He warned members and supporters of the party against fighting or castigating anybody, saying that those behind the plot were only working to actualise God’s plan and the ultimate liberation of the state from the jaws of poverty and under-development.
“I am a marathoner, no matter how bumpy and rough the road is, we shall get there’’, he said.
According to him, the constitutional crisis created by the sudden death of Audu, when finally resolved will enrich the country’s democracy.
He thanked the Igalas for their support and resolve to defend the mandate with their blood and assured them that their efforts will not be in vain.

 

 

Credit : PM News