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.
“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.
