The national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has chosen Alhaji Yahaya Bello (Fair Plus) as the party’s new candidate for Kogi State governorship supplementary election slated for next week Saturday.

Bello, who came second in the August 29, 2015 party primaries, will replace the late Prince Abubakar Audu on the APC ticket after the demise of the latter on Sunday, November 22, 2015 at the peak of the collation of the election results.

Just two days ago, the late Audu’s running mate in the inconclusive poll, Hon. James Abiodun Faleke, wrote both INEC and his party, the APC, telling them why he ought to be declared the governor-elect after the death of Audu, having jointly secured votes substantially required by the Constitution to win an election.

At about the same time, some leaders of the Kogi State branch of the party also presented the first son of the deceased politician, Mohammed Audu, to the national leadership of the APC in order to step into his late father’s shoes as the governorship candidate.

But the party hierarchy apparently ignored all these submissions and settled for Bello from Kogi Central in order not to run too much foul of the law.

A very senior party official confirmed Bello’s choice to LEADERSHIP Weekend last night.

While the late Audu polled 1,109 votes to defeat 26 other aspirants who contested with him, Bello polled 702 votes to become Audu’s closest challenger in the keenly contested governorship primary election which was adjudged free and fair.