Abubakar Audu, governorship candidate of the All Progressives
Congress (APC) in the November 21 election in Kogi state, was very close
to making history when he died suddenly on Sunday. He also went to his
grave with many unfulfilled dreams, sending his supporters and admirers
into mourning when victory was within reach.
Audu already made history by being the only candidate to have
contested every governorship election since 1991, winning twice and
losing in 2003, 2007 and 2011. But he would also have become only the
second person to be elected governor thrice – having been governor in
1992 as well under the umbrella of the National Republican Convention
(NRC). The only person to achieve the feat is Abba Bukar, who was
elected governor of Yobe state in 1992, 1999 and 2003, and is currently a
senator.
Audu spelt out his many desires during his campaign for this
election, promising again and again that he would make sure power
shifted to other parts of Kogi state if he was voted in. Coming from the
majority Igala ethnic group, Audu seemed to have understood the
sentiments of other groups in the state, particularly the Ebirra and
Okun who have not had the luck of producing a governor. All the
governors elected in the state since its creation in 1991 have been of
the Igala group, and the two top candidates in every election are always
Igala. During his campaign recently, Audu promised: “Let me make my
three-point agenda known to the people of the state because I want to
be held responsible for my word later when I gain power. First, I will
make sure that power shift becomes sacrosanct. I will be the first
governor to change power in the state. I must honour my agreement that
after my full tenure I will ensure power rotation either to Kogi West or
Kogi Central.”
He also promised to develop infrastructure – indeed, many Kogi
residents believe since Audu left power in 2003, there had been no
progress of any kind for the state. “I will declare state of emergency
on the critical sectors of the state especially in the infrastructural
sector. Shortly after I won my party primary, I took a trip outside the
country where I met international business organisations, who by now are
just waiting for me to be sworn in so that they can come and invest in
critical sectors of the state,” he said. Then he promised to improve the well-being of the people. “Lastly,
the welfare of the people of the state remains a priority to me. Let no
one deceive you, I have nothing but the best interest of the people at
heart,” he said.
If anyone had predicted that he would never return to the Kogi
state government house after his impressive showing in the election on
Saturday, Audu would have laughed it off. Having worked so hard, touring
the length and breadth of the state, he felt so sure of winning the
election. So confident was he after casting the vote at polling unit 2,
ward 10 at Ogbonicha in Ofu local government area of the state, Audu
exposed the ballot paper, perhaps forgetting that it ought to be secret
ballot.
Audu’s political career dates back to 1986 when he was appointed as
the commissioner for finance and economic planning of the old Benue
state. He served in that capacity until the cabinet was disbanded, two
years later. When Kogi was carved out of Benue and Kwara states, Audu
contested for the governorship, won and was sworn in as the first
elected governor of the state in January 1992. He remained in charge of
the state until the military interregnum of 1993. When democracy was
restored six years later, he contested on the platform of the All
Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and won but his bid to return to the Lord
Lugard House, as the government house of the state is known, suffered a
setback in 2003. He lost to Ibrahim Idris of the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP), who spent two terms and handed over to Idris Wada, his
brother-in-law.
But as candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Audu was
about trouncing Wada to become the second APC governor to have defeated
an incumbent PDP governor in 2015. Of the 20 APC candidates that emerged
victorious in the 2015 governorship poll, Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna is
the only one who ousted an incumbent governor. Like Wada, Mukhtar Yero
of the PDP also lost his re-election bid. Commenting on the 2015 general
elections, the deceased said former president, Goodluck Jonathan
deserved a nobel prize for accepting the outcome of an election that did
not favour him. “As far as I am concerned, President Goodluck Jonathan deserves to be recommended for a Nobel Peace prize,” he said in an interview shortly after the election.
“You know what has been happening around African countries, you know
that once a leader is in a position, he wants to stay put, they won’t
like to relinquish the position. Look at what happened in Ivory Coast
and other places; in the case of Jonathan, we have seen a lot of
maturity and love; he said it is not worth shedding any blood for the
position of the presidency; how many people in Nigeria, in Africa, in
the third world reason that way? They want to perpetuate themselves in
power and for the mere fact that he has shown the difference, he
deserves a Nobel Peace prize.”
Audu hailed from Ogbonicha-Alloma in Ofu local government area of
Kogi. His late father was a prominent traditional ruler – Orego Atta of
Igalaland. He started his education in Kogi before proceeding to Onitsha
for his secondary education. Audu also studied banking and personnel
management in a London higher institution. Though there were different
corruption allegations against him, Audu was known to have achieved a
lot in terms of infrastructural development during the previous periods
he spent in office. Audu established the Kogi State University, three
different housing schemes for public officers, set up television and
radio stations, pioneered the construction of an ultra modern stadium, a
five star hotel, amongst others.
In his response to the allegation of his arrogance, Audu who
taunted Wada that he built the government house which Wada and his
predecessor stayed throughout the period he was shut out, said: “It is
better to have an arrogant performer than a humble failure”. He went
further to lash out at his rival in the governorship race. “I worked
in First Bank Nigeria for over 25 years and I left as an executive
director. I was general manager of Standard Chartered Bank in London and
New York. I was a training officer in London and I have done all these
things and if you compare me as a governor with just a school leaver and
someone who is doing that job for the first time, you will know that
there is no basis for comparison,” he had said. On his 2015 governorship ambition, Audu said: “I think by the special grace of God we shall arrive there safely”. Sadly,
Audu has arrived, but at a destination other than the Kogi state
government house where he felt he would spend the next four years from
January 2016. He was 68.
Culled from: TheCable
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