Audu’s death update: Burial on Monday

Sunday, November 22, 2015 9:35 pm

The All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in Kogi state who died on Sunday will be buried Monday morning according to Muslim rites.

His opponent at the polls, Idris Wada who is incumbent governor of the state has declared seven days mourning for the late Audu.

The 68 year old APC governorship candidate, Prince Abubakar Audu, who was waiting to be declared the winner of the election, was instead declared dead.

He died this afternoon, having suffered massive stroke. Just moments after this, the INEC declared his election inconclusive.

Audu was born 27 October 1947.

He was twice the Governor of his state. His first tenure was from January 1992 until November 1993 and the second from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2003.

He was born to the family of his Royal Highness, the late Pa Audu Oyidi, Orego Atta of Igala Land and the paramount rule of Ogbonicha-Alloma in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State.

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 GCE O and A level.

After a stint as a bank worker, Prince Audu later proceeded to London from 1975-1978 where he studied banking and personnel management, obtaining professional qualification as a certified secretary; and a Fellowship of the Association of International Accountants of London, as well as the fellowship of the chartered institute of industrial administration of Nigeria.

Prince Audu spent a total of 25 years with the First Bank, formerly Standard Bank, where he served in different capacities at management levels until 1991.

During this period, he was said to have made history as the first black training officer for the bank and one of the first black senior management staff of Standard Chartered Bank in London and New York.

He was appointed Commissioner for Finance and Economic planning in the former Benue State in 1986 serving in this capacity for two years. When that council was dissolved he went back to First Bank of Nigeria Plc as General Manager.

In 1991, Prince Audu was appointed Executive Director of FSB International Bank PLC before he was invited into politics to contest for the Governorship position in Kogi State under the ticket of the National Republican Convention (NRC). He was sworn in on the 2nd of January 1992 as the First Executive Governor of Kogi State. It was in this capacity that he transformed the infrastructural landscape of Kogi State.

Within the 22 months lifespan of that administration, and his second coming as governor in 1999, he was said to have put in place monumental landmarks in virtually all sectors, particularly in the area of housing, electricity, roads, education, and health care services.

Prince Abubakar Audu contested and was rigged out in the 2003 Kogi State gubernatorial elections. 2003 is generally acknowledged in Nigeria’s history as the beginning of a period of fraudulent electoral process carried out by the then PDP-led federal government.

In 2007 when election bells rang again, Prince Audu went to the polls, and was again defeated by massive electoral fraud committed by the then incumbent – Ibrahim Idris. Prince Abubakar Audu thereupon went to the Election Tribunal who nullified that election, and ordered fresh elections. Again, Prince Abubakar Audu contested against Ibrahim Idris, and again, was defeated by a fraudulent electoral process.

In 2011, Audu again contested against a new comer to the field, Captain Idris Ichalla Wada, and again Audu was defeated by another election fraught with fraud.

Prince Abubakar Audu emerged as the candidate of the APC at the August 28th Kogi State gubernatorial primary election. He was coasting home to victory, but INEC in its wisdom ruled the election inconclusive.