INEC fixes Dec 5 for supplementary election
APC: We’ll do fresh primaries
PDP: INEC’s decision morally bankrupt
AGF: Poll must be concluded
Crisis is brewing over the Kogi State supplementary election fixed for December 5 by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). INEC yesterday said it would go ahead with the conduct of supplementary poll despite the death of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Prince Abubakar Audu, on Sunday.
With the window of replacement provided by INEC, the national leadership of the APC said it would conduct a fresh supplementary primary for governorship aspirants. But the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected INEC’s decision to go ahead with the conduct of the supplementary election. Both APC and PDP are holding emergency meetings today in Abuja.
New Telegraph learnt that the PDP is weighing legal options. Also, a silent war has begun in APC over Audu’s replacement. Some hawks in the presidency see Audu’s death as an opportunity to entrench the interest of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in the party by producing the new flag bearer.
Audu was of the Bola Tinubu-led defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) ilk. Some of the forces pushing for a fresh primary election are said to be considering the majority Igala ethnic group where the late Audu hailed from. The PDP candidate, Governor Idris Wada also bared his fang yesterday as he removed 15 local government chairmen from office for defecting to APC.
The Electoral Act gives INEC 14 days to conduct supplementary election where there is an inconclusive poll. The commission has declared Kogi State governorship election inconclusive because the number of cancelled votes was higher than the margin of the difference between the two frontline candidates – Audu and Wada – and ordered a rerun in 91 polling units across 18 local government areas. APC governorship candidate, the late Audu, was leading with 240, 867 votes as against the PDP candidate, Governor Wada’s 199,514 votes.
INEC, in a statement issued yesterday, said the commission has been notified by the APC of the death of its governorship candidate in the election. According to the statement signed by Secretary to the Commission, Mrs. Augusta Ogakwu, the commission has, after due consideration of the circumstances, decided to conclude the process by conducting election in the 91 affected polling units as announced by the returning officer.
It said it decided to allow the APC to fill the vacancy created by the death of its candidate. “Accordingly, notice is hereby given to all the 22 political parties participating in the Kogi governorship election that supplementary election in the 91 affected polling units shall hold on December 5, 2015,” the statement added.
Speaking with journalists in Abuja yesterday after a meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC), APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, said the party is set to conduct fresh primaries. Oyegun, however, did not state the date for the supplementary primaries.
“The truth is that I will only know by the end of tomorrow (today),” Oyegun told New Telegraph. “As a party, we are going to proceed with process of organising primaries to provide a substitution for the late Abubakar Audu.” Oyegun said the Attorney General of the Federation has made it public that the APC should replace the late candidate.
When asked what will be the modalities for the fresh primaries, Oyegun said “we have only just got notification today, so we are going to go into executive session now, to know the nature of the primaries”. On the fate of Hon. James Abiodun Faleke, the running mate of the late Audu, the APC national chairman said that the aspirants will determine who becomes the next running mate to whoever emerges through the fresh primaries.
In the APC primaries conducted two months ago, Audu came first with 1,109 votes. Other aspirants that contested the primaries with Audu and their votes are: Yahaya Bello (703), Usman Abatemi (400), Sanusi Abubakar (309), Atawodi (183), James Ocholi (90), Olumoroti (56), Baba Ali (28), Obadofin (15), Elephant (11), Nicholas Ugbane (8), Clarence Olafemi (7), Idrissima (5), Meyanga (2), Sule Eje Abutu (2), Alex Kadir (1), Ojo Onukaba (1), Sani Shaibu (1), Zakari Jiya (0) and Yakubu Mohd (0). The AGF and Minister for Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), earlier yesterday said APC would present another candidate in the supplementary elections.
The AGF, who spoke in Abuja at a seminar, said the election has to be concluded and that APC would have to substitute its candidate for the purpose of the supplementary elections. He, however, did not say that the party’s deputy governorship candidate would automatically step in as the party candidate.
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