The Kogi gubernatorial election drama is far from over, as James Faleke, running mate of the late Abubakar Audu, who was the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) candidate in the 2015 governorship election in Kogi state is now in custody of the Department of State Services (DSS). This is as revealed by Duro Meseko, spokesman of the Audu/Faleke campaign organisation.
Meseko said, Faleke and Audu’s son, Mohammed, were invited by the DSS for unclear reasons.
He said that both of them had been in the custody of the DSS since 10am on Saturday.
“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,” he said in a statement on Saturday.
“What could be responsible for this ill-treatment by the SSS? “Or could they be acting the intimidation script? Trying to arm-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.”
Faleke and Mohammed had teamed up to participate in the December 2015 supplementary governorship election after Audu passed on- and the substantive election declared inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
But the APC gave the ticket to Yahaya Bello, who came second in the Kogi governorship primary election; Faleke then approached the federal high court, Abuja, to declare him governor of Kogi state and to stop the supplementary election from taking place.
But the court ruled against him. He is currently challenging the emergence of Bello as governor at the Kogi state governorship election petition tribunal.
