Kogi State Election Tribunal sitting in Abuja on Monday said the running mate to deceased All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship candidate in the November 21, 2015 election in Kogi State, James Faleke lacks the legal right to challenge the emergence of Governor Yahaya Bello.
Justice Halima Mohammed-led three-man panel held that Faleke does not have the “locus standi” to file the petition.
The tribunal held that the party nominated Bello and not Faleke as Audu’s replacement and as such, it lacked the jurisdiction to question internal process of the party leading to the nomination for Audu’s replacement.
Falake had filed a petition before the election tribunal asking that Bello’s emergence as the party’s governorship candidate was unlawful.
He urged the tribunal to declare that the election conducted by the Independent Electoral Commission, INEC, before Audu’s death was already won and that he had already emerged as the deputy governor-elect.
Faleke also urged the tribunal to declare him as the authentic replacement for the late Audu and be returned as the governor-elect.
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