Audu, Kogi APC candidate is dead – Associates

The candidate of the All Progressives Congress for the Kogi State Governorship election, Abubakar Audu, is dead, The PUNCH has confirmed.
Associates and aides of the 68-year-old politician confirmed that Audu died earlier today around 12pm, but news of his demise was concealed in the hope that the Independent National Electoral Commission would declare him winner of the election before they disclose it.
A former governor of the state and political associate of Audu, Alhaji Abdullahi Bello, confirmed his death to our correspondent in Lokoja.
Bello, a former speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly and current member of the assembly, said he confirmed the news from one of Audu’s wives as well as his driver.
“It is true, oga is dead. He died this afternoon at his house in his hometown,” Bello said.

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Sahara Reporters had reported his death earlier, saying that the former governor died shortly after the Independent National Electoral Commission declared Saturday’s elections inconclusive.
However, one of Audu’s aides told our correspondent that he died in his sleep.
The Kogi State Government has declared seven days of mourning for the late politician.
He is to be buried on Monday morning.
The Independent National Electoral Commission had declared Saturday’s governorship election in Kogi State inconclusive.
The Returning Officer of the election, Prof. Emmanuel Kucha, had declared the election inconclusive because the number of votes cancelled was more than the number of votes with which Audu led incumbent governor, Capt. Idris Wada.
Saturday’s election was his fourth attempt to return to the Kogi State government house.

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 Audu, Kogi APC candidate rumoured dead
Unconfirmed reports reaching The PUNCH indicate that the candidate of the All Progressives Congress for the Kogi State Governorship election, Abubakar Audu, has died.
Sahara Reporters had reported his death earlier.
Audu is said to have died earlier today, but his death was kept secret by his family and associates according to additional reports from Kogi State.
Sahara Reporters, however, said Audu had died shortly after the Independent National Electoral Commission declared Saturday’s elections inconclusive.
The PUNCH is verifying the reports.
The Independent National Electoral Commission had declared Saturday’s governorship election in Kogi State inconclusive.
The Returning Officer of the election, Prof. Emmanuel Kucha, had declared the election inconclusive because the number of votes cancelled was more than the number of votes with which Audu led incumbent governor, Capt. Idris Wada.
Kucha said Audu polled 240,867 votes, 41,353 votes more than the 199,514 votes Wada got. However, the cancelled votes were 49,953.
The victory at the poll was meant to have allowed Audu to become the governor of the state for the third time.
A former banker, Audu, 68, had first been elected as governor of the state in 1991 – serving from 1992 till 1993, under the abortive third republic.
After five years of military rule, he was elected again under the platform of the All Nigeria People’s Party and governed the state from May 1999 to May 2003 after he failed in his re-election bid.
“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 had, however, criticised the conduct of the electionon Saturday after his accreditation and again after voting, informing journalists that there was a plot to undermine the outcome and scuttle his chances.
extracted from punch news