Shina Ibrahim, Lokoja
There is a huge crack in the immediate camp of running mate to late Prince Abubakar Audu of All Progressives Congress (APC), Honourable James Faleke as top leaders dump him for the governor-elect, Alhaji Yahaya Bello.
These leaders include a memeber of APC Board of Trustees and former acting governor, Chief Clarence Olafemi Obembe, Senator Dino Daniel Melaye, Chief Gbenga Asagun, Barrister Justina Abanida, Commodore Folusho Daniel, Chief Samuel Aro among others.
While others have been associating freely with Yahaya Bello since his controversial emergence as Audu’s replacement, Obembe has been physically associating himself with Faleke and even adding his voice to the agitation of the Faleke group.
Two days ago, Obembe/Dino group met in Lokoja and they pledged their support for the governor-elect, Yahaya Bello. The group went ahead to caution Bello to be wary of politicians like Alhaji Salawudeen (Erukutu), Chief Dare Olatunde and others who left APC for Accord Party in the past and only returned recently. They described the Accord defectors as political jobbers who have constituted themselves as nuisance to the APC in Kogi West and formed illegal stakeholders that are not known to the APC as a political party. The group made it known that they have begun process to nominate a new deputy governor from Kogi West that will replace Faleke.
While romancing with Faleke publicly, there were reports that Obembe was actually lobbying national party members behind closed doors to make him deputy governor to Yahaya Bello. In one of the meetings with top APC power brokers in Abuja, Obembe allegedly referred to himself as ‘deputy governor destined’. He buttressed his claims to the fact that he was deputy governorship candidate to Alhaji Jibrin Isa Echocho in 2011 before he was later robbed. He also claimed that he was primed to be Audu’s running mate in the last governorship election before the imposition of Faleke by powers that be. While Obembe is free to aspire for any position and associate himself with any group, curious close observers are worried that at his age he should not be playing political hide and seek. An APC chieftain recently alleged that Obembe, in recent times, was with Faleke at Febson Hotel in Abuja to get mobilisation to organise a meeting of leaders to support Faleke. Many view his recent stance as pure back-stabbing.
It was gathered that the Obembe/Dino group have resolved to pick someone from Yagba axis as new deputy governor to Yahaya Bello. This move, according to an insider, is to make Dino’s second term election into the Senate a smooth sail come 2019.
