The deputy governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the November 21, 2015 governorship election in Kogi State, Hon. James Faleke, has identified treacherous politics by insiders as responsible for the inability of the Audu/Faleke group to take over government in the state.
Speaking to a tumultuous crowd who came to welcome him home at Ekinrin Adde, his hometown after the Supreme Court judgment which affirmed Yahaya Bello as Governor of Kogi State, Faleke said the conspiracy to deny the Audu/Faleke Political Organisation of its right to assume power in the state would not have been possible but for the support of some insiders from the state in collaboration with the leadership of the APC at the national level.
“It is unfortunate that we lost our right to Lugard House owing to high level treachery both at state and national levels of the party. It is a common saying in Yorubaland that the enemies without would always find it hard to defeat you without the support of the enemies within. Shortly after news filtered in that Prince Abubakar Audu, our leader died, the hawks from the three senatorial districts moved in by putting pressure INEC not to declare the results.”
According to Faleke, “Though we lost the battle to reclaim our mandate at the Supreme Court but we have not lost the minds and support of the majority of Kogi people who voted massively for the Audu/Faleke ticket.”
He described the role played by the national leadership of the party in the entire saga as unfortunate and unbecoming.
The federal lawmaker commended the people of the state for being restrained even in the face of glaring injustice meted out to them, urging them to continue to be law abiding.
He denied reports in some quarters that he was heading back to Lagos to play politics saying that he was back home to contribute his quota to the development of the state.
Speaking at the occasion, a member of the House of Representatives from Kogi State, Hon. Sunday Karimi, expressed dismay with the way the leadership of APC who claim to be fighting corruption on one hand was busy and encouraging injustice at the same time.
The state Chairman of the party among several other speakers at the occasion urged the teeming supporters of the party to close ranks despite the political setback, expressing hope that the national secretariat of the party would soon intervene in bringing a stronger and more united party in the state.
