The running mate to the late Abubakar Audu, the the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the November 21 governorship election and deputy governor-elect James Abiodun Faleke, yesterday insisted that he would not be deputy to the governor-elect, Yahaya Bello.

Bello, who replaced the late Audu for last Saturday’s supplementary election held in 91 polling units, was in the early hours of yesterday declared winner of the polls by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

In declaring Bello winner, INEC yesterday said he polled a total of 247,752 to beat the incumbent governor and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Idris Wada, who scored 204,877, out of the total accredited voters of 526,389.

Faleke had sued INEC and others for declaring the November 21 polls inconclusive and sought to stop the supplementary election but lost the case on Friday when the Federal High Court, Abuja Division insisted that only election tribunals had jurisdiction on such matters.

He insisted that, as the running mate of the late Audu, he was the authentic winner of the said election, as Bello could not inherit votes from an election he did not participate in.

Speaking through his media aide, Duro Meseko, Faleke yesterday maintained that no one could force him to be the deputy to Bello, adding that he was ready to pursue his case to a logical conclusion.

“That somebody is a member of a party does not mean that you cannot fight for your rights, if they are trampled upon,” he said, adding:

“The result of Saturday’s supplementary election has further confirmed my earlier position that we won the election of Saturday November 21st. My position is that I have appealed the case and nobody can force me to be deputy governor-elect to Yahaya Bello.

“I have taken the position that I am the winner of the election and even the election declared yesterday with the total votes cast which was a little above 12,000 has vindicated the Audu/ Faleke campaign organisation that they should have been declared winner in the first place and that there was no need for the supplementary election.”

•Adapted from a Guardian report. Photo shows Faleke.

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