Much has been said about the confusion the demise of the late Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the November 2015 elections in Kogi State, Prince Abubakar Audu created, not only in the state, but particularly within the party, but the untold story is a string of conspiracies that predated his death.
According to a source, who craved anonymity, intrigues and power play in anticipation of 2019 elections for those seeking certain political offices, are the main reasons for the present political crisis in the state.
Our source revealed that it was the political sagacity of the late Prince Audu that saw him emerge as the party’s flagbearer in contrast to the wishes of certain power blocks in the party’s hierarchy.
After the emergence of Prince Audu, his choice of Hon. James Faleke as Deputy Governorship candidate was frowned at by the same fifth columnists within the party, which our source claimed is headed by no other person than the National Chairman of the party, Chief Odigie Oyegun, who called the late Prince Audu to question his choice of James Faleke, who they perceived as Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s protégé, when all is being done to stunt the influence and reach of Tinubu within the party.
Prior to when the election was declared as inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after the death of Prince Audu, Senator Dino Melaye, our source revealed, played the role of a spoiler in the ensuing confusion witnessed after the public declaration of Audu’s death.
Senator Melaye allegedly sold a dummy of the probability of the late Prince Audu’s son, Mohammed Audu to substitute his father.
After legal considerations were taken into account, this plan was abandoned and political leaders of the APC in Kogi East joined the team to actualize the Audu/Faleke mandate that was given by Kogites on 21st November, 2015 with Hon. James Faleke as Governor and Alhaji Mohammed Audu as his Deputy.
A source told us last week that the indecision of the state’s chapter of the party created a lull that Alhaji Yahaya Bello exploited to smuggle his way back into a party he not only abandoned, but assiduously worked against in the aftermath of his loss in the primary election of the party.
A party chieftain, who spoke to us anonymously, wondered why a party that was on the verge of victory would gamble with its success to satisfy the ambition and craving of some individuals within the party.
Legal experts, who also spoke on the issue, opined that it was a pure mischief for the leadership of the APC to accept the opinion expressed by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami (SAN) on the Kogi election debacle as law instead of approaching the courts for a legal interpretation of the situation.
However, a source within the party claimed the Kogi election crisis was contrived by powerful forces within the APC to “curtail the overbearing influence of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as the emergence of James Faleke would have enhanced same.”
It was also gathered that certain individuals from Kogi West, where James Faleke hails from, such as Chief Clarence Olafemi, whose ambition to become Kogi State governor would have received a death knell, treachously betrayed the quest to actualize the Audu/Faleke mandate and was one of the first callers to Alhaji Bello after the result of the supplementary election was declared.
Another source informed us that this was not a surprise as Hon. Olafemi was alleged to have been promised the Deputy Governorship slot even before the primaries. “He was merely extracting his pound of flesh,” our source said.
