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.
Abubakar Audu
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.
