Declare me governor, Faleke tells Kogi election tribunal

ÎHon. James Faleke, the running mate to late Prince Abubakar Audu in the November 21, 2015 Kogi State governorship election, has asked the Kogi State Governorship Election Tribunal sitting in Abuja to declare him governor of the state. He told the tribunal on Monday that the November 21, 2015 governorship election in the state was conclusive and the winners were known contrary to the position adopted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) returning officer that it was inconclusive.

Faleke stated this while testifying as witness in the petition he filed at the tribunal. Led in evidence by Wole Olanipekun (SAN), Faleke adopted several statements on oath and documents which he filed in respect of the petition as his evidence and prayed the tribunal to accept them and declare him governor of the state. Under cross examination by Dr. Alex Izinyon (SAN), counsel to INEC, Faleke said he was not aware that Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Bello Yahaya, was a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“I am aware Yahaya campaigned for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the election”, he said. Faleke also said he was not aware that Yahaya Bello contested the APC primary with late Prince Abubakar Audu. Faleke said he was informed that the late Audu won the primary. He claimed that he was not a delegate at the primary election and that he was sent out along with others who were not delegates by Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna State. Asked by Izinyon (SAN) whether he was aware the November 21, 2016 election was inconclusive, the petitioner said that the results were announced at polling units Ward collation centres and State collation centre.

He said that votes were recorded for all participating candidates and parties and that the returning officer erroneously claimed that the over 49,000 registered voters in 41 polling units that did not cast their votes was higher than the margin of votes scored by the APC. Also speaking under cross examination by Joseph Daudu (SAN), counsel to Gov. Yahaya Bello, the petitioner said that at no point did he see himself as an independent candidate. He said he is loyal APC member who is aggrieved by the action of the INEC. He said that Audu died at about 8am and INEC declared the election inconclusive at about 4pm.

Faleke, who is a member of the House of Representatives said the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended allowed him to contest election in Kogi State as an indigene. Hearing on the petition continues today