LOKOJA—The wait for a new governor of Kogi State
following last Saturday’s governorship election turned into
a constitutional crisis, yesterday, after the leading
candidate, Prince Abubakar Audu died after he had taken
a commanding lead over the incumbent governor, Captain
Idris Wada.
Audu contested the election on the banner of the All
Progressives Congress, APC, and had won 240,827 votes to
beat Wada who contested on the platform of the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP to second place. However, because
of the irregularities that trailed the election, polling was
cancelled in 59 polling units, a development that led to
the declaration of the election as inconclusive. Audu’s
death is an unprecedented development not envisaged by
the constitution and the Electoral Act.
The circumstances of Audu’s death in his country home in
Ogbonicha were still cloudy, yesterday, but sources
disclosed that it followed complaints of stomach ache that
commenced about Thursday.
His ill-health
Sources said the
condition which
was first noticed
in Lokoja
worsened in his
country home in
Ogbonicha but
aides were able
to manage the
prince to vote in
the election in
which he was standing as a governorship candidate for
the sixth time.
His condition, however, worsened late on Saturday and by
yesterday morning he had died even before the result of
the election could be declared. An eerie silence enveloped
the country home as family members waited for the
results of the election to be declared far away in Lokoja.
Sources disclosed that at least two doctors from the
Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja and other medical
personnel had been attending to him in his residence for
some time and were with him until he died yesterday
morning.
However, it was not until about 2.30 p.m. that suspicion
on the fate of the APC candidate emerged to the outside
world. That was when an ambulance from the Federal
Medical Centre arrived to carry the corpse, but the
ambulance eventually left without the corpse of the late
Audu.
Among the early arrivals at the Ogbonicha country home
were his running mate, James Faleke, Senator Dino
Melaye, a former minister, Abah Humphrey; senior
officials of the Audu Campaign among others.
There were suggestions last night that Audu, a Muslim,
could be buried as early as this morning. APC chieftains
led by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu are expected to
witness the burial today.
Earlier yesterday, the Independent National Electoral
Commission, INEC, had declared the election as
inconclusive despite the commanding lead taken by Audu
over Governor Wada, the candidate of the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP.
The INEC, returning officer for the election, Prof.
Emmanuel Kucha of Federal University of Agriculture,
Makurdi, had announced Audu as having polled 240,827
votes to top the election with Wada scoring 199, 514 votes.
He, however, declared the election inconclusive on the
fact that no party could be declared the winner since the
number of cancelled votes was more than the difference
between the APC and the PDP.
Incloclusive election
Though the election was peaceful across the three
senatorial districts, the election was cancelled in 59
polling units across 18 Local Government areas of the
state due to non-usage of the card reader, over voting,
ballot snatching, violence and other irregularities.
Kucha said: “Since the number of cancelled votes was
49,953 while the difference between the votes scored by
the APC and PDP candidates stood at 41,353, the election
could not yet be declared as conclusive.
“Applying provision of INEC guideline, page 22 – 23
paragraph 4(m), the election will be re-conducted in 59
polling units across 18 LGAs”.
The breakdown of the result declared so far shows that
the late Audu won 16 out of the 21 Local Government
Areas of the state while Wada won five of the LGAs.
The APC won in Yagba East, Yagba West, Kabba/Bunu,
Ijumu, Lokoja, Kogi, Okehi, Adavi, Ajaokuta, Ibaji, Ankpa,
Igalamela/Odolu, Ofu, Olamaboro and Idah LGAs; while
PDP won Mopamuro, Dekina, Okene, Ogori/Mangogo and
Omala LGAs
The result of the election shows that all the major
gladiators won in their respective Local governments, with
the late Audu winning his LG, Ofu; his Deputy, Faleke won
Ijumu LG; while Governor Wada won his LG, Dekina; and
his Deputy, Yomi Awoniyi won his LG, Mopamuro.
A further breakdown shows that the. Governor won only
one local government in the Western senatorial axis and
two each from the Central and Eastern senatorial axis of
the state.
INEC, before the news of Audu’s death, had promised to
communicate a new date for the conduct of the
rescheduled election in the affected polling units to the
parties.
The following are the LGAs and numbers of cancelled
votes: Adavi 2134, Ajaokuta 1406, Ankpa 6021, Bassa 742,
Dekina 17,454, Ibaji 2665, Idah 310, Igalamela/Odolu
1501, Ijumu 705, Kabba/Bunu 1767, Kogi 1689, Lokoja
2854, Ofu 4679, Okehi 403, Okene 676, Olamaboro 2046,
Omala 2526 and Yagba West 375.
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