Kogi Guber Polls: Tribunal Dismisses Faleke’s Petition Against Bello

Bello-FalekeThe Kogi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja on Monday dismissed the petition filed by Hon. James Faleke against the candidacy of Yahaya Bello in the November 21, 2015 governorship election in Kogi.
Faleke was running mate to late Abubakara Audu, former All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in that election.
Following the death of Audu at about the time the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, declared the poll inconclusive, the APC nominated Bello as its substitute candidate for the rerun election on December 5, 2015.
With the APC already leading the poll, the rerun was a mere formality as Bello coasted to victory over the then incumbent and Peoples Democratic Party flag bearer, Idris Wada.
But Faleke approached the tribunal with a petition alleging that Bello ought not to have been nominated or declared a winner of the rerun election becase he was not a registered voter in Kogi state among other reasons.
Dismissing the petition for lacking locus standi, Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Halima Mohammed, declared that deciding the candidate of a political party is not under the jurisdiction of a court,
The judgment reaffirmed that it is the prerogative of the political party to decide its candidate in an election.