Kogi guber poll ends in tragedy

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By Our Reporter on November 23, 2015 COVER

• Nigerians in shock over Abubakar Audu’s death
• How the candidate died in his hometown,Ogbonicha

From Taiwo Amodu, Romanus Ugwu, Emmanuel Adeyemi, Lokoja

SUNDAY, November 22, was meant to be victory dance for Prince Abubaka Audu and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Audu was APC’s gover­norship candidate and was already in the driver’s seat , coasting home to victory, having cast his vote 24 hours earlier, on Saturday, Novem­ber 21.

On Sunday evening, a dark, tragic script, which no one could have predicted, played out.

First, the election was con­sidered inconclusive by the Independent National Elec­toral Commission (INEC) after 49, 953 votes were can­celled, even after he led his rival, Governor Idris Wada of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by 41, 353 votes.

Thereafter, INEC said it would conduct a supplemen­tary poll after 21, 351 votes were rejected.

As at Sunday evening, Audu led Wada with 240, 867 to Wada’s 199, 514.

The electoral umpire’s decision got to Audu and events took on a dark, tragic turn.

Audu, who held court in his country home at Og­bonicha in Ofu Local Gov­ernment Area of the state reportedly passed on in the presence of some visitors who thronged his residence to congratulate him on the outcome of the election be­fore the results trickled in.

A family source said a vis­itor quickly drew the atten­tion of Audu’s wife to the de­velopment who immediately raised the alarm and another source indicated that Audu actually slumped when he got up from his seat with the intent to go inside the room.

Daily Sun gathered that shortly after casting his vote on Saturday, Audu vomitted blood but was revived by his medical team. Thereafter, he suffered two strokes, within 24 hours which eventually killed him.

The state Governor Idris Wada has declared seven days mourning.

Twenty-four hours earlier, Audu surfaced at his Og­bonicha Ward 002 at about 12.30pm for accreditation, ahead of voting, which was to commence at 1:00pm.

Audu arrived at the poll­ing booth in a convoy of cars to the admiration of voters on the queue, who eagerly conceded space for him to partake in accreditation.

He later visited the pal­ace of the Attah Igala, Ida­kwo Michael Ameh Oboni II where he paid homage.

Anxious newsmen, who thronged the palace, accost­ed the late Audu Abubakar for an interview but were told to wait until he cast his vote.

He surfaced at about 1:00pm, voted and expressed satisfaction with the voters’ turnout and especially, the conduct of security agents deployed to maintain law and order.

At the event, Audu as­sured Kogites he would put “smiles on their faces,” once he assumed office as the new governor.

He said: “Today is the day God will give the people of Kogi the power, the strength the wisdom to effect the long overdue change in Kogi. By the special grace of God, af­ter this election, Kogi will join the mantra of change that is going round the coun­try.”

Audu spoke on his inten­tion to “retrieve the Conflu­ence State from the abyss it has sunk.”

Although Audu won in 16, out of the 21 local govern­ment areas in the state, there was no clear winner as re­sults in 59 polling units were cancelled.

INEC subsequently de­clared the election inconclu­sive.

Nigerians are still in shock over his death.