APC’s Audu dies, after leading in Kogi guber polls
HE was near realising his coveted
ambition: to return to the Kogi State
Government House. But yesterday, his
pet dream was scuttled irretrievably. He
died. Before Prince Abubakar Audu’s
sudden demise, there had been
jubilation and back-slapping that
accompanied the declaration of most of
the results of Saturday’s governorship
election in which he was leading with
over 41, 000 votes.
Sources close to the family in Ogbonicha
said he died even before the collation of
results commenced.
A politician in his country home who
spoke on a condition of anonymity said
his household had been in mourning,
with wailing from all corners of his
expansive compound.
Also in his Abuja home, a source
indicated that his security aides were
seen wailing profusely.
Audu, it was gathered, had complained
of stomachache shortly after casting his
vote and started vomiting blood only to
pass on shortly after.
“Audu is gone,” a distraught associate of
the late politician told an online medium
reporter on the telephone.
Although too shattered to provide details
of the politician’s passing, he confirmed
he was in the candidate’s company when
he passed on.
The source said the former governor
suddenly took ill and was being rushed
to Abuja preparatory to being flown
abroad when he passed on.
The Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC)’s Returning Officer,
Prof. Emmanuel Kucha, who is the Vice-
Chancellor of the Federal University of
Agriculture, Makurdi had declared the
Saturday governorship election
inconclusive, saying that though Audu
was leading with over 41, 000 votes there
would be rerun in 91 polling units to
take care of 49, 553 voters.
He said the provision of the law as
contained in the INEC guidelines stated
that the winning margin must be in
excess of the total number of votes in
units where elections were cancelled
while in the current case elections were
cancelled in 91 units across 18 local
governments.
He said the total number of votes in the
areas added up to 49, 953 while the
margin of win was 41, 353 giving a
difference of 8,600.
According him, while the All Progressives
Congress (APC) scored a total of 240,867,
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
199,514, Labour Party scored 5, 756, and
All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA)
584 votes.
According to Kucha, total valid votes
stood at 459, 983; rejected votes 21, 351
while total votes cast were 481, 334.
Despite the fears that the election could
be marred by violence, it was relatively
peaceful and points towards producing
Prince Audu as the winner.
The flamboyant politician who first
became governor of the state in1991,
won in 16 local councils where he got the
required two-thirds of the votes cast
while the PDP flag bearer and incumbent
governor, Captain Idris Ichala Wada
won in five.
The PDP had raised issues concerning
Audu’s state of health during the
campaign period, which the APC
dismissed as mere political propaganda
aimed at discrediting the deceased. The
APC waved the issue aside, claiming that
the ruling party was only jittery and
looking for a mere excuse to disqualify a
strong opposition.
Meanwhile, there was a protest in
Okenne area of Kogi yesterday where
some youths were reported to have
demonstrated over the outcome of the
election until armed soldiers came to
quell the situation.
Audu was the first governor of Kogi
State. He was born on October 27, 1947,
to the family of his Royal Highness, the
late Pa Audu Oyidi, Orego Atta of Igala
Land and the paramount ruler of
Ogbonicha-Alloma in Ofu Local Council.
He started his education at the then N.A.
Junior Primary School, Alloma, and later
N.A. Senior School Ankpa, from where he
proceeded to Dennis Memorial Grammar
School, Onitsha. He later transferred to
the Jos Commercial College where he
obtained both the General Certificate
Examination (GCE) Ordinary and
Advanced Level.
After a stint as a bank worker, Prince
Audu proceeded to London from 1975 to
1978 where he studied banking and
personnel management and obtained
professional qualification as a certified
secretary, and as a Fellow of the
Association of International Accountants
of London, as well as fellowship of the
Chartered Institute of Industrial
Administration of Nigeria.
His banking career lasted for 25 years,
which he spent with the First Bank
formerly known as Standard Bank. He
served in various capacities at
management level until 1991. He also
made history as the bank’s first training
officer of African descent and also as
one of the first black senior management
staff of Standard Chartered Bank in
London and New York. In 1991, he was
appointed Executive Director of FSB
International Bank Plc.
His political career began in 1986 when
he was appointed as Commissioner for
Finance and Economic Planning in the
Old Benue State and served in this
capacity until 1988 when the cabinet was
dissolved.
Audu, one of the astute advocates for the
creation of Kogi State, which was carved
from parts of the old Benue and Kwara
states contested the 1991 governorship
on the platform of the National
Republican Convention (NRC) and won
the election held in November. He was
subsequently sworn in as the first
executive governor of Kogi State in
January 1992.
In 1998 Audu, now with the All Nigeria
People’s Party (ANPP), was elected again
with over 700,000.
He was sworn in on May 29 , 1999 as the
second Executive Governor of Kogi State.
His socio-economic contribution in the
state is to date a point of reference to
the generality of the people and many
aspiring leaders. Some of his major
achievements during his brief first term
of office include the establishment of
three different housing schemes for
public officers consisting of over 1,500
housing units in Lokoja; the
transformation of Lokoja township with
asphalt roads, street lights, aesthetic
roundabouts, the construction of inter-
township and rural roads, over 75
electrification schemes and 50 water
projects.
Others include the founding of Kogi State
Polytechnic, the establishment of a
television station, radio station (both AM
and FM), a state newspaper and the
transformation of the colonial residence
of Lord Lugard into an ultra modern
Government House Complex, the
construction of office blocks for
ministries as the new state had no office
accommodation and the construction of
shopping arcade complex to enhance
commercial activities.
He also pioneered the construction of the
first ultra modern state liaison office in
Abuja. His administration also built an
ultra modern stadium and a five-star
hotel in Lokoja, the Confluence Beach
Hotel. He also took steps to woo
prospective investors to harness the solid
mineral potential in the state. The big
prize was the establishment of Obajana
Cement Factory. The project, which was
ongoing before he left office, attracted
the support of the United State
Government. During the visit of former
President Bill Clinton to Nigeria, the
State Government signed the agreement
with the US Trade Development Agency
(TDA) for a grant to finalise the
feasibility work on the project. The
cement project is now operational.
The establishment of a state university,
Kogi State University Anyigba, is another
testimony to his vision and
resourcefulness. The foundation stone
was laid on November 30, 1999, when
former President Olusegun Obasanjo,
visited the state. About a year later, the
president returned to Anyigba during a
state visit to commission the university
complex.
According to a report of a visitation
panel to the university from the Nigeria
University Commission, the institution
was then described as the fastest
growing university in the country. The
university received tremendous
international support, which included an
affiliation programme to Morgan State
University Baltimore. Also, seven visiting
professors from various universities in
the United States were at the university
to review its curriculum and align it
with their own universities and prepare
the students for an exchange programme
to give the university an international
acceptability.
Prince Audu completed several landmark
projects within four years. They include
250 units of a housing estate, a sports
complex, a specialist eye hospital and 25
other medical institutions. Others are a
special government girls secondary
school on a student exchange
programme, 350 borehole schemes, 300
kilometres of township roads, the
procurement of 100 transit buses and
completion of 40 rural electrification
projects.
He was also named the best governor in
the 1999-2003 dispensation, despite
being a governor on the platform of the
opposition, the ANPP.
He was a highly travelled politician who
brought many honours to the country
through his personal relationships with
foreign statesmen. It is known that he
enjoyed a very intimate relationship
with the former British Prime Minister,
Mr. John Major.
In 1993, he and a member of his family
were special guests of the British Prime
Minister at No. 10, Downing Street
where he hosted them to a state banquet.
Also in 1993, Audu attended the
Commonwealth Heads of Government
Meeting in Cyprus. His connection with
the international community saved
Nigeria during the heady days of
Shonekan administration from economic
embargo. In December 1999, he was on
the delegation of President Olusegun
Obasanjo during the state visit to
Germany. On every account, Prince
Audu who maintained a good circle of
friends across the country is by every
judgment a great patriot, visionary,
humanist and nationalist. The
outstanding achievements of Prince
Abubakar Audu have been acknowledged
by several organisations within and
outside Nigeria through awards and
honours presented to him.
Meanwhile, Ekiti State Governor,
Ayodele Fayose, has described the death
of Prince Abubakar Audu as tragic and
very unfortunate.
Fayose said the sudden passing on of
Audu has further confirmed that life is
vanity and we would only be
remembered what we did. The governor
sympathised with family left behind and
people of Kogi State, praying that God
will comfort the family.
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