Barely 24 hours after promising to pick a replacement for its late governorship candidate, Abubakar Audu, for the Kogi State rerun election through direct primaries, the All Progressives Congress, APC, said yesterday it would now select some aspirants one of whom would emerge a new candidate.
Also on Wednesday, some protesters from Kogi State demanded that deputy governorship candidate in the November 21 gubernatorial poll that was declared inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Hon. James Abiodun Faleke should be made the automatic replacement for the late Audu.
APC Chairman John Odigie-Oyegun disclosed this yesterday in Abuja while receiving the Minister of Youth and Sports Barr. Solomon Dalung.
Odigie-Oyegun said that the party would not organize delegates’ primaries but throw up aspirants from where a candidate would be selected for the rerun polls fixed for December 5.
He praised the wisdom of INEC and the legal wizardry of the Chief Justice and Attorney General of the Federation Abubakar Mallami, SAN for saving the country from constitutional crises.
According to Oyegun, INEC has proved its capacity to conduct credible elections using Kogi as a model.
“For the election to have gone relatively well before the tragedy was a high success for INEC. INEC has passed the litmus test.
“The Attorney General of the Federation, AGF and INEC provided ‘common-sensical’, straight forward and logical solution that has saved us from constitutional crises.
“In a few days, we shall have a simple, straight forward and democratic process that will produce a new candidate for Kogi.”
Oyegu thanked the people of Kogi who went through the rigors of election only to be informed of the demise of their choice candidate.
However, youths from Kogi under the aegis of Kogi Youth Vanguard have protested the plans of the party to replace Audu, describing it as unconstitutional.
The youths who stormed APC secretariat, Abuja carrying placards with various inscriptions said that plans by the party to replace Audu runs contrary to section 181 of the 1999 constitution.
According to the spokesman of the group, Ayodele Peters, the running mate to late Audu, Abiodun Faleke enjoys a joint ticket with Audu and should be allowed to fly the party’s flag for the supplementary election instead of shopping for a replacement.
The group urged the party to place Faleke interest first before shopping for a replacement for Audu.
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