His unfulfilled dream Elections inconclusive
By Abdulrahman A. Abdulrauf, Abuja, and Oyibo Salihu, Lokoja
The Kogi state governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Saturday’s elections, Alhaji Abubakar Audu is dead, and is to be buried today.
Although the cause of his death remains hazy, sources said he collapsed following a heart attack arising from an accompanying shock. Yet, another version claimed the former governor who led the inconclusive polls, complained of stomach upset late Saturday.
But confirming his death to our correspondent, Personal Assistant to the late politician, Isah Atodo, said Audu, was 68 years of age, died at about 2 p.m. yesterday in his house at Ogbonicha, Ofu Local Government Area of the state, even long before the election was announced as inconclusive.
More than anything, the late politician could not realise his dreams of returning to the Lugard House, and according to him, “take the state out of the wood”
The former governor’s death has thrown up the prospect of a fresh election, so submitted Hassan Liman, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria who argued that this is in consonance with Section 181 of the Constitution.
The Section states that: (1) If a person duly elected as Governor dies before taking and subscribing the Oath of Allegiance and oath of office, or is unable for any reason whatsoever to be sworn in, the person elected with him as Deputy Governor shall be sworn in as Governor and he shall nominate a new Deputy-Governor who shall be appointed by the Governor with the approval of a simple majority of the House of Assembly of the State.
(2) Where the persons duly elected as Governor and Deputy Governor of a State die or are for any reason unable to assume office before the inauguration of the house of Assembly, the Independent National Electoral Commission shall immediately conduct an election for a Governor and Deputy Governor of the State.
Although, he further submitted that this section may not have anticipated this ugly scenario, the wig however stressed that this was contemplated by Section 33 of the 2010 Electoral Act.
According to the Section, which deals with ‘Political parties changing candidate’: “No political party shall be allowed to change or substitute its candidate whose name has been submitted pursuant to Section 32 of this Act, except in the case of death or withdrawal by the candidate.
Upon this therefore, Liman who featured on NTA news monitored in Abuja last night, said “the Electoral Act anticipated this and the running mate can’t stand in because the election was inconclusive. The implication of this therefore, in my understanding of that Section is that the APC will conduct a fresh primary and come up with a new candidate.
“Consequent upon this, INEC will have to start a new election, and start a new process because the candidate for which the electorate voted in the inconclusive election was no more. Now that he is no more, another candidate must emerge.”
Prince Audu was appointed Commissioner for finance in Benue State under Group Capt Jonah Jang between 1988 and 89 after his banking career, at the end of which he contested and won in 1993 on the ticket of the defunct National Republican Convention(NRC) to become the first elected civilian governor of the state.
The tenure was truncated by a military coup and upon the nation’s return to democracy in 1999, he took yet another shot at the office on the platform of the defunct All Peoples Party and occupied same the second time. His planned return in 2003 was however abortive as he lost to Alhaji Ibrahim Idris of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
It is on record that since his exit from office, he contested all elections and lost until last Saturday’s elections which though he was leading , but declared inconclusive.
Announcing the outcome of the exercise, the Returning Officer, Professor Emmanuel Kucha who declared the election inconclusive , said the margin between the winner and the runner up is more than the cancelled votes in 19 local government area of the state.
He said the margin between APC and PDP was 41,353, stressing that the cancelled votes were 49,953, a development he noted, was against the Electoral Act.
According to him “applying the provision of the INEC guidelines regulation for the conduct of the 2015 election in page 22 and 23 , paragraph 4 section M, the Returning Officer is directed to act thus
and I quote:”
Whenever the margin of win between the two candidate is not in excess of the total number of registered voters in the polling units where elections are cancelled, the returning officer is to decline to declare the winner until another poll is conducted and the result computed into a new form for declaration.”
In the keenly contested poll, the late Audu scored a higher number of votes than the incumbent and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Captain Idris Wada. The late politician scored 240,867 votes while Wada polled 199, 514 votes
Announcing the result at the INEC headquarters in Lokoja yesterday , Kucha disclosed that the total valid votes were 459,983 ; total votes cast was 481,334 while the rejected or invalid votes were put at 21,351 .He also hinted that the total registered voters were 1,379,971 with only 511,648 accredited.
He added that of the 21 local government areas where election took place, APC won in 16 leaving only 5 for PDP.
According to him ” APC won in Okehi, Ajaokuta, Adavi, Kogi , Ijumu, Yagba West, Yagba East, Idah, Kabba/Bunu, Ofu, Ankpa, Olamaboro, Lokoja, Igalamela/ Odolu, Bassa and Ibaji while PDP won in Okene, Ogori /Magongo, Dekina, Mopa/Amuro and Omala”
Kucha who is also the current Vice Chancellor of University of Agriculture Makurdi, commended the security agents for maintaining peace and order during the poll.
Mixed reactions however greeted the conduct of the exercise which both the foreign and local observers described as free, fair and credible.
“On a general note, the election process went well across Kogi State, with election officials turning up and carrying out their responsibilities in most polling units visited,” election monitoring group, Situation Room, said in a statement on Sunday morning.
Wada however, criticised the conduct of the election on Saturday after his accreditation and again after voting, informing journalists that there was a plot to undermine the outcome and scuttle his chances.
Reacting to the outcome of the exercise, the PDP agent, Joe Agada said the result declared by INEC was not what they expected , lamenting that the presence of armed security men at the PDP strong holds discouraged party’s supporters from coming out to cast their votes for candidates of their choice.
He also lamented that in some local governments in the eastern part of the state, there were complaints of malfunctioning of the card reader, expressing disappointment that INEC could not replace them as promised by the election umpire.
Also in her remark, the APC agent, Hajia Halimat Alfa commended the commission for conducting a free, fair and credible election in the state.
She mentioned that the people’s massive votes for APC was borne out of their desire to effect positive change in their lives, assuring that APC under Prince Audu would transform the state to glory.
