Tag Archives: Faleke

APC not yet a political party, just a gathering of people – Faleke

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Former running mate to the deceased All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship candidate in Kogi State, Prince Abubakar Audu, James Faleke, has frowned at the party’s handling of the crisis in the state, stressing that the party is at the verge of collapse.

Speaking in Ogbonicha, Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State, Faleke who is currently a member of the House of Representatives ruled out any form of reconciliation with the governor of the state, Yahaya Bello, who was the beneficiary of the crises that erupted after Audu’s death.

He explained that there can never be any reconciliation process with the leadership of the state government because of the way and manner the national leadership of the party handled the issues that generated after Audu’s death.

According to Faleke, “There can never be any reconciliation in a situation where somebody works from first day to the last day of the month and another person collects his salary, what can only be the basis for reconciliation is for the salary to be returned, that is the only reconciliation.

“We are prepared to go hungry for the next four years, but I can tell you that God sparing our lives, the song will change surely.

“The architects of the crisis in Kogi state started the imminent downfall of our party, APC, the way and manner the issue of Kogi was handled was least expected of a political party. I have heard that one of the cabals said that APC was just a gathering of some people, not yet a political party.

“I want to say that as far as what happened in Kogi state is concerned and how it is affecting the party, I am sure those in government in the state can confirm that all is not well within the party in the state because when you worked and some people are benefitting or reaping the fruits of your labour, they will know that all cannot be well and that is why they are not getting their feet right.

“It is one year after Audu and nothing seems to be moving, it has taken the state more than seven to eight months to do screening and pay salary, people have died through queueing or waiting for their names to be screened and those that had been screened have not collected salary since January this year, you can imagine that certainly things are very bad, we know how much we spend to maintain our people in the state to keep live moving.

“When people work and at the end of the month they are not paid, you can be sure that nothing can go well, so whatever that goes on in the civil service in the state is also affecting the party.

“What happened to us during the case and when we lost our leader one year ago and all the battles we went through in the legal process, the way and manner the court judgments came, the issues that were determined have shown that we are not in a party yet, as far as am concerned, until the party at the national level wakes up.

“You know that this party was formed by all of us, we contributed to it, it is not an animal farm, it belongs to everybody, until they realised that, that is only time that this party can have a foot and can move forward. If our people get paid, if our people are empowered and entrenched, i am sure the songs will change, but as it is now, it is bad bad song.”

Faleke Reacts To Supreme Court Ruling Upholding Gov. Bello’s Election

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The deputy governorship candidate in the November 21, 2015 election in Kogi State, James Faleke, has reacted to the judgement of the Supreme Court upholding the election of Yahaya Bello as governor of the state.

Mr. Faleke said he had no regrets challenging Mr. Bello’s election, saying he took the step in “good faith to protect the interest of the over 240,000 electorates that voted for the Audu/Faleke ticket”.

Mr. Faleke was the All Progressives Congress, APC’s running mate in the November election before the ticket holder, Abubakar Audu, died as he led in declared results.

Mr. Faleke challenged the APC’s decision to nominate Mr. Bello as its new candidate for a supplementary election that held in December 2015.

After a prolonged legal tussle at the high court and the appeal court, the Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld Mr. Bello’s election.

A seven-man panel headed by Justice Sylvester Ngwata affirmed the election after listening to the closing statements of all the counsel.

The court said it would provide reasons for its decision on September 30.

In his reaction, conveyed in a statement by Duro Meseko, Mr. Faleke said it would have amounted to a “betrayal of the sacred trust of the people who reposed implicit confidence in the Audu/Faleke ticket not to have defended the sanctity of their vote up till the Apex court level”.

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Kogi: Stop Harassing My People – Faleke Tells Bello

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The running mate of the late Prince Abubakar Audu in the November 21 governorship election in Kogi state, Hon. James Faleke has called on the state Governor, Yahaya Bello to stop harassing his supporters and kinsmen over their political tussle.
Faleke claimed that his loyalists were being framed up and arrested in questionable circumstances by the Governor.

He added that they were also charged to court simply because they do not believe in the emergence and leadership of Governor Bello.
According to the federal lawmaker, “We are law abiding citizens. When a supplementary election in Kogi was announced, of course we were angry but we did not take the laws into our hands, we took our case to the Tribunal.

“It is important for me to state clearly that some weeks ago, my community received information that my community -Ekirin-Ade, in Ijumu local government – that the wife of the governor was coming to commission a healthcare centre. A health centre built in 2007 and commissioned in 2007.

“To compound matters, the community leaders have been contributing to run the centre and the people decided to stay at home and refused to receive the governor’s wife. But the police, induced by the governor went after my supporters, breaking into their houses and arresting them.”

Faleke added that arrests of his supporters have continued unabated as security agents on Monday night, arrested one Hon. Cornelius Olowokere and was taken to the Kogi state police command and subsequently charged to court on Tuesday, April 5.
“We want the federal government to call him (Governor Bello) to order because Kogi is known for so many bad things. If you are there to govern the people, you should offer service within the time that you are there and stop harassing people.

“I’m appealing to Governor Yahaya Bello to leave our people alone.? He should leave the people of Ijumu alone.

“In Benue, it is the Fulani herdsmen killing people, but in Kogi we are talking about our own government wanting to kill our people. We have reported to the party leadership in the state. But the governor has told the chairman that the party did not vote for him. We have written to the IG of Police. I believe the IGP will take action,” he said in a statement.

Faleke Urges Tribunal To Declare Him Winner Of Kogi Gubernatorial

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The running mate to the Abubakar Audu, James Faleke, has called on the state Election Petition Tribunal to declare him the validly elected governor of Kogi State.
Mr. Faleke made the call on Monday while being led in evidence at the tribunal in Abuja by his counsel, Wole Olanipekun.
“I confirm to all the documents that were 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 as the winner,” Mr. Faleke said.
When asked during cross-examination by the counsel to the 1st respondent, the Independent National Electoral Commission, if he was still a member of the All Progressive Congress, he said ‘yes’.
According to Mr. Faleke, “I am not aware that the 2nd respondent, Gov. Yahaya Bello, is a member of the APC. All I know is that the 2nd respondent campaigned and worked for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

Credit: NAN

SSS Detains Faleke, Abubakar Audu’s Son- Aide

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The Deputy Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the November 21, 2015 Governorship election in Kogi State, James Faleke, and Mohammed, the eldest son of Abubakar Audu, the late APC governorship candidate, Abubakar Audu, were on Saturday invited by the State Security Services for undisclosed reason, and then detained.

The Director, Media and Publicity of Audu/Faleke Campaign Organisation, Duro Meseko, said in a statement on Saturday that the duo arrived the SSS headquarters in Abuja at exactly 10.00am and were kept in an office with assurances that an officer would attend to them only to keep them indefinitely.

Mr. Meseko said the two politicians were kept in an isolated office till 4p.m on Saturday evening.

He said, “I’m 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 SSS?

“Or could they be acting the intimidation script? Trying to arms-twist 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.?

“I refuse to believe that the presidency has hands in the arrest! But we may not rule out the fact that the power that be must have wielded their influence in the arrest, but we are not not pertubed over the development, because we believe that God ultimately vindicate us.”

The SSS has had no official spokesperson since Marilyn Ogar was removed, and could therefore not be reached for comments.

Credit: Premiumtimes

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

Kogi Election: Faleke Files Petition At Tribunal

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

Mr. Faleke, accompanied by Mohammed Audu, the son of late Audu, and lawyers, submitted the petition to the clerk of the tribunal at about 12.20pm 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) reports that the Secretary of the tribunal, Akanji Akinlabi, who received the petition, said the contents were yet to become public.

Mr. Faleke is challenging the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC’s decision which declared the election inconclusive.

He argues that the election had already been won and lost before the supplementary poll, saying he should be declared winner.

Mr. Faleke told journalists 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.

Credit: PremiumTimes

Drama As Kogi Deputy Gov-Elect, Faleke Resumes As Lagos Reps Member

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The legally-recognised deputy governor-elect of Kogi State, Hon. James Abiodun Faleke, yesterday returned to the House of Representatives, where he took part in Tuesday’s plenary session amid cheers from his colleagues.

Faleke, who is currently in the news over his insistence that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declare him governor-elect of Kogi State after the death of his principal, Prince Abubakar Audu, in the November 21 governorship poll in the state, represents Ikeja Federal Constituency of Lagos State in the 8th House of Representatives, where he is also the chairman of the Committee on Customs and Excise.

He stormed the Green Chamber spotting a white flowing ‘Agbada’ and a hand-made red cap, amid cheers and ovation from his colleagues in the House as he approached the Speaker’s seat where he held a tete-a-tête with Speaker Yakubu Dogara for a few minutes before resuming at his official seat.

The presence of Faleke, who is a two-time member of the House having transferred his voter card from Lagos to Kogi to enable him exercise his franchise has also raised new legal questions as to whether or not he still has the legal rights to represent the people of Lagos.

Faleke who rejected his re-nomination as deputy governorship candidate to the eventual winner and governor-elect, Alhaji Yahaya Bello has since gone to court asking the judiciary to declare him governor-elect instead of Yahaya Bello whose name the All Progressives Congress (APC) forwarded to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the subtitute to the late Prince Abubakar Audu.

Source – leadership

Court Dismisses Wada’s, Faleke’s Suits

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A Federal High Court has dismissed five suits arising from the death of the All Progressives Congress’ governorship candidate in the November 21 election in Kogi State, Abubakar Audu, clearing the way for the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct the supplementary poll scheduled for Saturday.

Justice Gabriel Kolawole in two separate judgments on Friday , held that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the five suits as the dispute had crossed the “threshold” of matters for the court since results in most of the polling units had been declared.
The judge ruled that 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.
He ruled that he had not decided the cases on their merit, so “the issues can be re-argued at the election petition tribunal”.
The judge delivered the first judgment on four consolidated suits, including the one filed by the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate, the incumbent Governor, Idris Wada.
In his suit, Wada sought to be declared as winner of the November 21 poll being the surviving candidate with the highest votes.
But the rest of the suits consolidated with it sought an order compelling INEC to conduct an entirely fresh poll.
By his own suit, Faleke asked the court to declare him the governor-elect on the basis that the joint ticket which he shared with Audu had already won the election and in view of Audu’s death he (Faleke) as deputy governor-elect?, should be declared the governor-elect.
The candidate whom the APC presented to INEC as substitution for Audu, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, was during the hearing on Thursday joined as a party to all the suits.
He opposed all the suits, arguing that there was no basis to grant the prayers sought by Wada, Faleke and the plaintiffs in the rest of the three suits.