The family of the late former governor Abubakar Audu of Kogi State has condemned the violence that erupted in the state during and after the November 16, 2019 governorship election.
Members of the family stated this in Abuja yesterday at the fourth anniversary of the death of Audu, lamenting that the violence, which left tales of deaths, pain and bitterness in its trail, was unfortunate.
Speaking, Prince Mustapha Mona Audu said his late father was a politician who believed in free, fair and peaceful elections.
“The truth is that he always believed in peaceful, free and fair election and unfortunately it is no longer the case in Kogi State, as electoral violence now seems to be synonymous with the state.
“It is a shame for every Kogi person that we cannot express our views peacefully, fairly. It is a shame that we kill one another over things that will pass away. Audu never stood for that,” he said.
He particularly took exception to the death of a women party leader in Ochadamu, who thugs set ablaze in her House.
“We have been mourning the death of the woman and I believe that if the late Audu were still around he would have visited her family. It is unfortunate that today there is still election violence. No one is happy in Kogi State,” he added.
Citing the death of a 19 year old boy in Anyigba during the 2019 general election and for which no one has been arrested to date, he said revelations that emerged from the call centre on electoral violence during the poll were overwhelming.
Audu expressed the hope that all those involved in the death of the PDP woman leader in Ochadamu would face the full wrath of the law.
He also decried the new dimension of ethnic jingoism brought into the electoral process in Kogi State, saying: “It is dangerous for progress and development to thrive in the state.
“Everyone is shouting Igala, Ebira, Okun, Yoruba, Kakanda. It is wrong, this division is what brings about violence, even with people of the same tribe cohabiting together because they believe in different ideologies or different parties and so they begin to fight and kill one another.
“It is very unfortunate that we have not grown past this and as a citizen of Kogi, I am ashamed that these are the news and reports that come out of our state,” insisting that it was wrong for Nigerians to kill themselves for political or other reasons.
Credit: Guardian
