Forty-eight hours to the inauguration of Alhaji Yahaya Bello as the new governor in Kogi State, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has intensified search for a replacement for Hon. James Falaeke, former running mate to late Prince Audu Abubakar, who died shortly after the governorship election was declared inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Recall that Falake whose name was sent to INEC by the APC as running mate to Bello in the supplementary election held on December 5, 2015 not only declined the offer but asked the court to declare him the governor-elect.
He insisted that is the rightful person to replace late Audu. He has since said he will not be available at the swearing-in as deputy to Bello on Wednesday despite pressures from chieftains of the APC. Falake’s refusal to be available for the swearingin has however put the APC in dilemma over his replacement. Several interests groups within the party have continued to make case for their candidate to replace Faleke. But ahead of Wednesday inauguration of Yahaya Bello as governor of the state, facts emerged on Sunday that the search for Faleke’s replacement may have been narrowed down to the Kogi East where late Audu hailed from.
A source close to the camp of the Governor-elect told our reporter that the search has been narrowed down to a former deputy speaker of the Koi State House of Assembly, Simon Achuba and one of those who participated in the primary, Tims Nda Diche. The two leading prospective deputy to the governorelect, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, are from late Abubakar Audu’s political camp and worked closely with him during last election. Diche, who was said to be one of the three former aspirants who worked with Audu during the period of the electioneering campaign, hails from Bassa Local Government Area and is a successful insurance broker. A close source to Achuba, who would not want his name in print, said Achuba is in the race for the deputy position, but however said the issue has not been finalised. “Yes there is that move to make Achuba the deputy governor to Bello. The people from east are comfortable with that option.
But like I said, it has not been settled,” he said. It could not be immediately ascertained if Faleke has changed his mind to accept the position as he had earlier declined. Meanwhile, the Ebira Peoples Association (EPA) has urged the governorelect of Kogi, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, to be fair in the governance of the state when sworn-in. The National President of the association, Dr. Musa Adeiza, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja. He said that the incoming government must reflect the feeling of a wide spectrum of the society to enable it carry out its programmes effectively and for the benefit of the people. Adeiza, who also teaches at the University of Abuja, called on the incoming government to give priority to training and retraining of teachers to ensure improvement in the quality of education.
Also speaking, the Publisher of The Lawmaker Magazine, Alhaji Zubairu Abdulsalami, enjoined the incoming government to entrench good governance to win the confidence of the people. ‘’What Kogi needs now is government to bring about economic prosperity and social development,’’ he said. In his contribution, an indigene of the state, Mr. Jamiu Yusuf, called on Bello to evolve pragmatic programmes that would harness the rich economic potentials of the state, particularly in rural areas. Yusuf said that by supporting the informal sector, the administration would have laid a solid foundation for the growth and development of the state. He further stressed the need for the new administration to cooperate with the Federal Government to complete the Ajajokuat Steel Company and reactivate the moribund Itakpe Iron Ore Project. Doing these, he said, would create jobs for the teeming unemployed in the states. Others, who also spoke in separate interviews, called on the new government to give priority to the welfare of civil servants
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