#KogiDecides: Voting Ends As Bello, Wada Await Final Result

Following the court ruling which allowed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to go ahead with its preparations for the Supplementary election in Kogi state, residents of the bereaved state will once again troop out in their numbers to decide who their next leader would be.

Incumbent governor, Idris Wada was  in court to challenge the decision by INEC to conduct a supplementary election, but had his case struck out for “lack of merit”and other issues relating to that were clearly stamped out by the court to set the tone for a smooth running today, Saturday, December 5.

All of these may not have happened if Prince Abubakar Audu, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) did not die after the election was declared inconclusive by INEC.  Since his death, many controversies have sprung up.

First, his running mate, James Faleke asked to be named the governor-elect since his party’s candidate was leading in the polls before it was declared inconclusive; the incumbent governor, Idris Wada also brought up series of issues, especially as he asked to be declared winner of the polls, stressing that “whatever votes Audu had died with him.” Both however had their suits struck out at the Federal High Court.

Bello, 40, was however drafted into the race by the APC national leadership after the party’s candidate in the election, Prince Abubakar Audu, passed away hours after the INEC had declared the election inconclusive.

The late APC governorship candidate was leading his opponent Captain Idris Wada of the PDP by 41,353 votes. The INEC declared the poll inconclusive and scheduled a supplementary election in 91 polling units for today, December 5.

But hours to the supplementary election in the state, the status of the running mate to late Abubakar Audu in the November 21 governorship election, Abiodun Faleke, remains a subject of controversy.

Faleke had told newsmen, that he had written the INEC to withdraw from the supplementary as running mate to Yahaya Bello.

He insists he should be declared governor-elect as Bello did not partake in the campaigns that gave Audu’s victory in the first part of the polls. He is also challenging INEC decision to declare the November 21 election inconclusive.

He also said he would appeal the Abuja High Court ruling which dismissed his suit seeking recognition as Kogi governor-elect.

However, Daniel Kure, the director Voters’ Education and Publicity of INEC, Kogi state, told Premium Times, Friday evening, that Faleke’s name was sent from the INEC headquarters in Abuja as the running mate to Bello.

It was gathered that Mala Buni, the national secretary of APC, neither replied text message nor answered calls initiated to get party’s position on the controversy.

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