Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that the bid to avoid legal pitfalls prompted the party leadership to pick Yahaya Bello as replacement for the late Prince Abubakar Audu in the inconclusive Kogi State governorship election.
Odigie-Oyegun explained in Abuja Thursday when he met with aggrieved party members from Kogi East Senatorial District in a bid to settle differences in the aftermath of the passage of Audu, the front-running APC’s governorship candidate.
Speaking on the propriety of Bello’s selection, Oyegun said, “We took the decision in a circumstance that someone was bound to get offended. And we were very conscious of the very peculiar circumstance of a group that was on the doorstep of victory. So in the circumstance, we did what we interpreted legally as the best way out of the jam we were in, always having our eyes on the PDP and what they may likely bring up in court.
“INEC asked us to replace the late Prince Abubakar Audu, good. Which one can we defend better if they go to court. That was the basis of our decision. But of course it created understandable anguish.”
Led by the Kogi State APC Chairman Haddy Amefuo, the Kogi East political leaders met with Odigie-Oyegun at the party’s headquarters in Abuja.
A meeting between the APC leadership and “core” members of the late Audu political family will hold in a yet-to-be-announced date. Expected at the meeting are Prof Daniel Isah, Director General, Prince Abubakar Audu Campaign Organisation and zonal Vice Chairman of the APC; Mohammed Audu, son of the late aspirant; former Minister Humphrey Abba among other leaders of the ‘core’ group.
-Leadership
