MEET THE NEW CANDIDATE FOR APC KOGI STATE GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION

Courtesy Naij.com

As the All Progressives Congress (APC)
prepares to pick a replacement for the late
Abubakar Audu, it’s governorship candidate in
last Staurday’s Kogi election, there are strong
indications that Audu’s campaign organisation
was making plans for his son, Mohammed to

replace him.
Members of the group reportedly met on
Tuesday night following APC’s declaration that
another primary would be held to produce a
replacement for the late governorship candidate,
The Punch reports.
Audu died on Sunday, November 22, a few hours
after the Independent National Electoral
Commission declared the November 21
governorship poll in the state inconclusive.
According to a leader of the APC in the state, the
dominant view in the organisation was that
Mohammed should partake in the party’s
governorship primary.
Few members of the organization were said to
have suggested that Audu’s running mate in last
Saturday’s election, James Faleke, should
contest the primary.
The APC leader stated that nobody could win the
state governorship primary of the APC without
the support of Audu’s supporters.

“Abubakar Audu’s supporters, including his
campaign structure, are rooting for either Audu’s
son, Mohammed, or James Faleke for them not
to lose out entirely. They are narrowing it to
either Faleke or Mohammed because the APC
machinery believes that the election has been
won. But the party elders and leaders, who
worked for him, will be more comfortable with
Mohammed,” the source said.
However, more than four people have already
started jostling for the APC governorship ticket
in the supplementary election on December 5.
They are Faleke, who was Audu’s running mate,
Yahaya Bello; a former PDP governorship
aspirant, Jubrin Echocho, and Salihu Atawodi.
A group of youths under the aegis of Kogi Youth
Vanguard, stormed the APC headquarters
yesterday to demand that Faleke, be given the
mandate to represent the party in the
supplementary election.
The late Audu had polled 240,867 votes in the
election while the Peoples Democratic Party’s
candidate and incumbent state governor, Idris
Wada scored 199,514 votes but INEC had
declared the election inconclusive.
INEC asked the ruling party to fill the vacuum
created by the death of its candidate in order to
continue with supplementary election.
The APC announced that it would conduct fresh
primaries to determine a replacement for its late
candidate, Audu.