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In 1988, the late former Kogi state governor, Prince Abubakar Audu, fresh from a well organised private sector as it was known then, trained and worked both at home and in the diaspora, made a foray into politics after securing an appointment purely on merit as finance commissioner by the military administrator, Navy Capt Jonah Davou David Jang (rtd) in the old Benue state during the military era.
Soon after the appointment into the public office, the late Prince Audu, a seasoned Banker both at home and abroad, could not hide the potentials of people centred and developmental traits in him, as well as glaring prudence and accountability as commissioner for finance saddled with custodian of the state funds.
Prince Abubakar Audu in the 80s displayed a lot of leadership qualities, particularly assisting the then military administration to prioritize provision of social infrastructure that later won his people’s heart to lead the newly created Kogi state in 1991. The ex airforce officer, Jonah Davou David Jang later ruled for 8years as civilian governor in Plateau state.
The prudent deployment of the meager resources available to the then Benue state during the military junta to critical infrastructural needs desiring urgent attention of government to the rural and urban settlers foresaw a lot of human based expectations.
At the home front, during the three years stint as finance commissioner, late Prince Abubakar Audu mobilised a lot of human, fiscal and other resources in conjunction with other members of the state executive council that saw mass developmental projects in the area of roads, water, electricity, health and created mass employment to bridge the age-long discrimination against the people of Iglala land.
Prince Abubakar Audu deployed his enormous wealth of experience garnered from the private sector, diaspora and political connections to impact on the socio-economic lives of his people to the betterment of the igala nation and the society at large.
This however paid off in 1991, soon after the creation of Kogi state, agitation and clamour of who becomes the governor of the new Kogi state saw Audu presenting himself as the governorship candidate of National Republican Convention (NRC) and won overwhelmingly in the same year.
Though Prince Audu’s tenure was short-lived by subsequent military intervention of General Sani Abacha in 1993, he left an indelible mark on the sands of time for just two years in the helms of affairs in Kogi through the establishment of various government agencies and parastatals, construction of schools and built two major housing estates for the state workforce; Lokongoma Housing Estates, Phase 1 and Phase 2.
Abubakar Audu’s goodwill was sustained six years later in 1999 when he was re-elected as the executive governor of the state for another term that witnessed massive proliferation of projects scattered all round the state along with the state capital wearing the real status of a state that eventually led to the emergence of Kogi state as the best and no 1 position in terms of development in a widely assessed nationwide project tour carried out by the federal ministry of information and supervised by the then minister of information,Professor Jerry Gana.
These legacies are what is left of the state and adored everywhere as part of development of the new state in education, health, agriculture, roads, housing, employment, science and technology and other critical infrastructures.
It was during the second coming of the former governor that attracted the establishment of a world class Kogi State University Anyigba, construction of a befitting governors residence, commissioners quarters, massive construction and rehabilitation of roads in the three senatorial zones, hospitals, clinics, electricity and water projects, aside other basic necessities of life were scattered all round the state.
Prince Audu in 2003 accepted to run again to satisfy the attention, desire and clamour from the people of the state in quest to place the newly created state ahead of the comity of states that is fast developing in terms of infrastructure and international/global attention, which he yielded but was truncated by the federal might and political nay sayers.
For three times consecutively, the late sage had challenged the federal might that turned the fast growing state into den of thuggery and under development in 2007, 2009 bye election and 2011 where he got victory but was short changed. In 2015, his fourth attempt, he won in a convincing election but death struck.
The injustice meted out by the age long political friends and acquaintances of the late political icon manifested after his demise in November 2015. Soon after the election, as this paved way to political rivalry, betrayals and disappointment from virtually all political gladiators and benefactors including supporters of the late political juggernaut, except the deputy governorship candidate, James Abiodun Faleke (JAF), whose assumption to the state top job was denied by compromised judicial system in the country.
The first level of betrayer was the APC and its top echelon who insisted that party primaries does not expire, no matter how long. They played down on the party constitutional provision and that of Nigeria in anticipation of undermining the judicial process.
Many of these planners of the denial of the victory of the APC to the appropriate quarter had fallen by the way either through natural phenomenon, or political exigency. The ongoing predicament and hardship been unleashed on the people of the state through denial of workers’ salaries, pensioners, dearth of basic social infrastructure and physical development of the state jealously guarded by the political philosophy and philanthropy of Prince Abubakar Audu.
The climax of the political short change of the mandate of the late Prince of the Niger is the ongoing cold war, denials, gimmicks and underground crises that had enveloped the return and quest for continuity and defection in the ruling APC. As the popular adage says, the planners of events will not go without recourse.
The grand of it all will manifest in the 2019 general elections at all levels in Kogi state. For those politicians who rode on the back of the late former governor and governor elect of Kogi state, Prince Abubakar Audu, they will get their results as the pay back time is less than a year now; as many of them left the late sage dynasty under the guise of winning elections through Buhari’s tsunami instead of Audu’s tsunami after his demise. Heaven knows Abubakar Audu was a phenomenon and synonymous to Kogi politics for over three decades owing to his style of politics and penchant for human and infrastructural development.
To crown it all, the mass maladministration and political miscalculation on the part of the current leadership in Kogi is bereft of divine intervention as programs, policies and actions relating to divinity was obviously lacking.
Appointees in Kogi and at federal level, who have climbed the ladder of progress using the good name of late sage, and the civil service both at state and federal level are now left in political oblivion and stigmatization in an unpopular government.
History will repeat itself in Kogi again just like in Nigeria and the ghost of June 12, popularly won by late President-elect MKO Abiola, was validated and recognised after more than two decades of the struggle.
Glowing tributes will deservedly make this article incomplete without mentioning the only dependent ally of the governor elect Abubakar Audu, both at death and when he was alive; James Abiodun Faleke (JAF), the state party executive, state campaign coordinator and former Kogi East zonal leader and some exceptional party stakeholders, supporters of Prince Abubakar Audu’s political dynasty for their firmness and doggedness towards the sincere course. Posterity will judge and vindicate not minding the political persecution, harassment, intimidation and threat to life.
Our Kogi state governor elect, late Prince Abubakar Audu through the popular will of the people on November 21st 2015, will have the result declared and full benefits accrued to the family.
Rest on Prince Abubakar Audu.
– Abdulkarim Adehi
Anyigba
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