Barely two weeks to the Kogi State governorship election, the race though with about twenty one contestants, is a race between two known gladiators, Captain Idris Wada of the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP), and Prince Abubarkar Audu of the All Progressive Congress (APC). Since 1998, Kogi State has remained a PDP state.
The November 21, governorship election would ordinarily have been a work over for the party if not for the effect of the March Presidential Election, which saw the APC taking over the centre.
Quite a number of analysts see Prince Abubakar Audu, the APC candidate as one that would have rode on the advantage of the party’s glorious outing, but some see it differently. They are quick to point out that the frosty relationship existing between Mr President, the majority of elders of the APC, his N11 billion naira corruption charges, the former governor’s antecedents as a dictator, an autocratic leader, who has no respect and dignity for people when he ruled are his major albatross and obstacles stopping him from occupying Lugard House, Kogi State seat of power.
It is on record that in all of the four times, President Buhari aspired to be President, on no occasion did he get Prince Abubakar Audu’s support. Some persons are quick to point at a scenario when Prince Audu as governor, refused to receive the president who visited the State for campaign, disclosing that the now Mr President was not on appointment, so he was not available and refused to receive him at the government house. The closest episode was the 2015 election. Available records and evidence showed that Prince Audu never believed in the aspiration of PMB. He pitched his
tent with Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso’s aspiration. Even after the emergence of PMB as the party’s candidate, Prince Audu’s posture left much to be desired as he was on an occasion alleged to have said he didn’t see a President in Mohammed Buhari.
Audu is considered very vindictive, little wonder many are scared as he is alleged to be unforgiven. He hated PMB with a passion, reason the now Mr President left ANPP. Audu spearheaded other ANPP governor’s of the then ANPP for an onslaught. Weeks after the APC primaries, the Ogbonicha Prince is only working with three out of the twenty seven aspirants that contested with him. Till date, he refused to congratulate, James Ocholi, SAN, Kogi State Ministerial Designate. His grouse, he claimed he was not consulted by PMB before he was nominated. With a perceived development at the creation of the state which he holds on as his achievements, and an overwhelming efforts by successive PDP administration seen by many to have overshadowed what he claims as achievements, Prince Audu, is no doubt caught in the web of his past.
That the President has since distanced himself from the aspiration of Prince Audu is therefore not a surprised to many, owing to how the later has always treated him, coupled with the alleged N11 billion corruption allegation, which the former governor has stalled his trial for all of these years is also counting against him. President Buhari won his election on the wings of integrity and his anti corruption stance. That is however a complete departure from who prince Audu represents.
Since assumption of office, PMB body language indicates that he is a man, ready to fight corruption, a malaise he said if not killed would kill the country. Thus many are waiting anxiously to see even though reliable evidence have shown that from the presidency and the party’s highest decision making body, the emergence of Prince Audu, despite the several petitions of anti party and anti person made against him, he tore the party into shred in the state due to his poor personality rating, maneuvered his way to still clinch the party’s ticket.
Despite the cosmetic development prince Audu arrogate to himself as one who midwife the development of the state at creation, the Obajana Cement he claims as achievement is a private concern with no state shares alloted to it. Similarly, achievements like the commissioners quarters which he built and sold to himself and his family but later collected by Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, the establishment of the state University, Ayingba, using World Bank funds and ADP landed property, are counting against the former governor as it was the several intervention of the successive PDP government that made the institution an institution of learning, whose certificate is now a pride.
Amongst the ethnic groups, the Okun people cannot forget the former governor’s arrogance which reek to high heavens when he governed.
Aside the fact that no development was attracted to the area, they Okun people view Audu’s pomposity, an undemocratic leader who was universally acknowledged to have just one chair in his living room, a situation that compels all his visitors to make do with the floor, makes the uncrowned prince a dislike in Okun land.
Up until recently, even the traditional rulers and APC supporters who visited his country home to thank him for his choice of James Falake, his running mate, were all made to sit on the floor.
Attah Igala, the revered ruler of the Igala Kingdom is reported to have openly bemoaned a situation in which there are two kings in his domain. He and other traditional rulers are made to wait in the sun for long, to receive the former governor, on his every return trip from Abuja and several unyielding economic trips.
The Ebira people still remember very vividly how Audu pilfered equipments of the school of Nursing and the specialist Hospital attached to it at Obangede and took them to his village. Same happened to Kabba Hospitals.
Despite the defection the PDP witnessed in the state, the absence of these prominent politicians has no serious consequences on the forth coming election. It would be recalled that Prince Audu run the APC as a personal empire. He alongside Senator Dino Melaiye, had the party’s ticket in their hands, sold only to the highest bidder and those considered as loyal, little wonder the fragmentation within the party in the state. Analysts are quick to point out that the March 27 victory for the APC by some national assembly members was made possible by the Buhari factor, as the people voted for change based on his integrity without recourse to those flying the party’s ticket in the National Assembly election.
It is common feature that recently when Prince Audu tried to print his poster along PMB picture, across the capital, the picture of Mr President had to be torn out, as many citizens see it as an affront having Mr President’s picture with a man with several question on his integrity.
Though he survived the internal mechanism of the party, while filling his nomination form, Prince Audu failed to respond to a “yes” or “no” response on whether he had any criminal case pending against him.
Similarly, Audu as a statutory delegate on August 29, 2015, by virtue of his membership of APC’s Board of trustee, failed to resign at least thirty clear days to his nomination or election are some of his major undoing, even though he refused to heed to voice of reason to relinquish his mandate based on his poor public perception. Across the state Audu is seen as a man with a heavy moral burden.
The several negative allegation against Prince Audu, analysts say is a direct apposite of that of his major contender, Capt Idris Wada, seen as humane, compassionate, and one who has successfully manage the state’s finances well, places him at an advantage in the forth coming polls. Analysts see the APC candidate as one Striving against the wind in his attempt to shelter behind a party many have run to associate with based on integrity.
Since the state was created, Prince Audu has contested all the governorship election, his dark past has refused to die, even though his past activities in the new APC is not indicative of a man who has born again, in arrogance, hate speeches and in employing divisive tendencies in a heterogeneous environment like Kogi state.
As the minutes tick towards the Kogi state governorship election, the people would troop out to vote for a personalities, whose characters have been tested. Obviously the contest is an odd against
the man touted as a man passionate about good governance, but to wreck vengeance on perceived enemies using state apparatus.
– Alao Tijani
