Leave My People Alone Faleke Apeals to Bello

James Faleke, the late Prince Abubakar Audu’s running mate in the November 21, 2015, Kogi state governorship election, has made an appeal to Governor Yahaya Bello.

Speaking to newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday, April 5, Faleke pleaded with Governor Bello to desist from harassing his supporters and kinsmen over their political belief, Leadership reports.

According to him, his allies were being framed up and arrested in questionable circumstances. He added that they are also charged to court simply because they do not believe in the emergence and leadership of the Governor Bello.

He said: “We are law abiding citizens. When a supplementary election in Kogi was announced, of course we were angry but we did not take the laws into our hands, we took our case to the Tribunal. “It is important for me to state clearly that some weeks ago, my community received information that my community -Ekirin-Ade, in Ijumu local government – that the wife of the governor was coming to commission a healthcare centre.

A health centre built in 2007 and commissioned in 2007. “To compound matters, the community leaders have been contributing to run the centre and the people decided to stay at home and refused to receive the governor’s wife. But the police, induced by the governor went after my supporters, breaking into their houses and arresting them.”

Faleke added that arrests of his allies have continued unabated as security agents on Monday night, April 4, arrested Hon. Cornelius Olowokere and was taken to the Kogi state police command and subsequently charged to court on Tuesday, April 5.

“We want the federal government to call him (Governor Bello) to order because Kogi is known for so many bad things. If you are there to govern the people, you should offer service within the time that you are there and stop harassing people. “I’m appealing to Governor Yahaya Bello to leave our people alone.‎ He should leave the people of Ijumu alone.

“In Benue, it is the Fulani herdsmen killing people, but in Kogi we are talking about our own government wanting to kill our people. We have reported to the party leadership in the state. But the governor has told the chairman that the party did not vote for him. We have written to the IG of Police. I believe the IGP will take action.”

Faleke, who is currently challenging the election of Bello at the Election Petition Tribunal sitting Abuja, lamented that his supporters were being attacked in different locations across the state, noting that: “Even at the tribunal, our people are being attacked. We are happy that the Tribunal has been moved out of Lokoja to Abuja.”

James Faleke, had declared that he would not be available for swearing in with Bello on January 27, which he eventually didn’t attend. Faleke had, upon the death of his principal, Prince Abubakar Audu, written to the INEC asking them to declare him as winner of the polls, despite the INEC having initially declared the poll as inconclusive. But as his appeal was waved off, Faleke went before the tribunal to challenge the refusal of INEC to declare him as the valid winner of the governorship election in Kogi state.

He is praying the tribunal to declare that INEC acted wrongly when it declared the outcome of the November 21 gubernatorial poll inconclusive. ‎ Faleke argued that INEC should not have declared the election inconclusive since they had already secured enough votes to warrant the declaration of a winner on the basis of the total number of votes that were cast.

Source: Naij

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