Paper Review: Bloody Clash As Faleke Rejects Ballo's Choice

The major issues of focus in the five Nigerian daily newspapers under review today, Tuesday, December 1, are mostly on the choice of Yahaya Bello over James Faleke to replace the late Prince Audu Abubakar on the platform of the All Progress Congress in the Kogi state governorship election.
As the altercation brews in the party, many are still asking to know what the law really says about who should take over the position of the late APC candidate. There is obviously no provision in the Nigerian constitution (CFRN 1999) and the Electoral Act 2010 relating to this present circumstance.

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Now what do you think, is it the running mate or the first runner up in the party’s primary election held prior to the general election? However, Some legal luminaries have also taken pen to paper to explain what the law says.
In the light of this, with the rejected of the position of a running mate, do you think James Faleke is actually fighting for his seeming right to be sworn in as the APC candidate or is he just being unnecessarily desperate to clinch on the seat?

Below are some of the reports by Nigerian newspapers.

The Punch newspaper has it as its major headline today. It reads: ‘Feleke, Bello’s supporters in bloody clash at Abuja APC Headquarters’.
It reports thus – Violence erupted at the national secretariat of the All Progressives Congress in Abuja on Monday, November 30, as supporters of the new Kogi state governorship candidate of the party, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, and James Faleke’s loyalists engaged themselves in a bloody clash.
Faleke was the running mate of the late APC governorship candidate in the November 21 election in the state, Alhaji Abubakar Audu.

The Punch front page, Tuesday, December 1, 2015

‘Faleke protests as APC picks Yahaya Bello’ is the major headline for The Guardian newspaper. It reports that peace further eluded the crisis-racked APC of Kogi state yesterday as the party’s choice of Yahaya Bello was rejected by the late Audu’s running mate, James Faleke.
Faleke who spoke to reporters at the party secretariat in Abuja, argued that going by the votes cast in the inconclusive Kogi governorship poll, he ought to have been declared governor -elect notwithstanding the fact that election in 91 polling units were cancelled by the independent national electoral commission.

The Guardian front page, Tuesday, December 1, 2015

For The Nation newspaper, there is confusion in the Kogi APC over the choice.
It reports thus: Supporters of Alhaji Yahaya Bello, who was chosen to replace the late Prince Audu in this weekend’s supplementary election in Kogi state and those of James Abiodun Falake clashed yesterday at the APC national secretariat.
The supporters, carrying sticks and stones, tore at one another as policemen looked helplessly and unable to curtail them.

The Nation front page, Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Vanguard newspaper has its major headline thus: Violence, as APC shuns Faleke, Picks Bello. There are three riders accompanying the major headline: ‘Faleke rejects running mate slut; heads to court’ – ‘Supporters haul missiles at one another in Abuja party headquarters’ – Meeting to calm aggrieved stakeholders deadlocked’.
The paper reports that the contention to replace the late Abubakar Audu as the APC governorship candidate in Kogi state turned violent after supporters of the two major contenders clashed at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.

Vanguard front page, Tuesday, December 1, 2015

However, the Daily Sun newspaper does not have the issue of the clash in APC as its major headline; rather, it has ‘End of the road for Boko Haram in Lagos’.
The paper reports that the army said yesterday that several Boko Haram members fleeing the battlefield in Borno state have been arrested in Lagos.
The general officer commanding (GOC) 81 Division, Major General Isidore Edet, also revealed that over 15 pipeline vandals have been arrested in the Ikorodu and Arepo areas of Lagos.

Daily Sun front page, Tuesday, December 1, 2015

These and many others are found on the front pages of the fives national dailies. Find out more details on the various newspapers.