Family to Faleke : You can’t handover late Audu’s political structure to Gov Bello

The family of late Prince Abubakar Audu has berated Hon James Abiodun Faleke for saying he would hand over the political family of the former governor to incumbent governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello.

Hon Faleke, who only recently reconciled with Governor Bello, had boasted that he would unite the late Audu’s political structure with Gov Bello’s to ensure a united APC and ensure victory for the governor on November 16.

“Yes, following the decision of the leadership of Audu/Faleke group to work with the governor, and as loyal party men and women, I, on behalf of the group, met the governor to chart the way forward and build a strong and united All Progressives Congress (APC), before the election.

“It is, therefore, necessary as loyal party members to assist, by bringing the party faithful who have been with me through thick and thin in the last four years, to the governor.

“By God’s grace, we will arrange to hand them over at a future meeting, as soon as possible. Although I have no vote in Kogi, I have numerous followers in the state,” he said after a meeting with Governor Bello, a fortnight ago.

However, in a statement issued by the family’s spokesman, Mr John Odekina, Wednesday, the family described Faleke’s comment as an unfortunate betrayal of the late Prince Audu, saying the Lagos lawmaker should stop trading Audu’s name.

The statement said while it cannot hold Hon. Faleke from tearing the fabrics of his political clan in Kogi State, he should stop the misconception of handing the family to Yahaya Bello.

“We are not commodities that can be sold to a buyer in any open market. Our political participation in Kogi state predates the incursion of Faleke into Kogi politics. How then can we become pawns in his political game of chess?

“The choice of Honourable Faleke to work for Governor Yahaya Bello is his personal decision and it does not reflect the decision of the political family of Prince Audu.

The family wondered how Faleke, who was co-opted as a Lagos representative from Ikeja and Lagos politician, to deputise the late former governor in a relationship that did not last more than 6 months, could usurp the large political empire of Prince Abubakar Audu, which predated him.

“Some of us have been following late Prince Abubakar Audu since his days at NRC and we moved together to APP, ANPP, ACN and eventually to APC until the death of our leader.

“We wonder how a stranger who joined the family barely six months to the demise of Prince Audu thinks he can sell us as a cheap commodity to Governor Bello. He must certainly have an over blotted image of himself”, the family noted.

The family reminded the Lagos lawmaker of how Yahaya Bello fabricated robbery allegations against the first scion of the late politician, Mohammed Audu, adding that Faleke should come out openly retract the comment.

They urged the general public and the large political family of the late politician to disregard Faleke’s misleading statement ahead of November 16 governorship election in Kogi state.

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