President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed shock over the news of Abubakar Audu’s death, saying he was personally devastated by the sad development.
“We are obviously devastated at the loss,” he said
Audu, the All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate in Saturday’s inconclusive Kogi State governorship election died on Sunday.
In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, Buhari described the late Abubakar Audu as a talented politician, a loving family head and a respected community leader.
“He was immensely courageous,” he said.
“President Buhari condoles with the family of the late governor, the government and people of Kogi state as well as all our party members, men and women who stood with Audu in his bid return as Governor. He ran as the favourite in the election as the early results have clearly shown,” the statement reads.
Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Mimiko, in a condolence message issued by the Commissioner for Information, Kayode Akinmade, said news of the death came to him as a rude shock, adding that no one would have envisaged that the late politician would not see the end of the election.
“The former governor’s death is most unfortunate and the day of his death will remain the darkest in the history of Kogi State,” he said.
In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Peter Okhiria, Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State said: “I received with shock, the sad news of the death of Prince Abubakar Audu, candidate of our great party in the Kogi state gubernatorial election.
“I was with Prince Audu just a few days ago, at the mega rally of our great party, where we marketed our party’s manifesto to the electorate and he looked hale and hearty as he dished out his plans to restore the glory of his state.
“His death, coming just as we were getting ready to celebrate his unassailable lead at the polls, is a sad reminder on the transience of life.
“There is no doubt that Kogi state has lost a gentleman, a certified performer whose legacies as a first-term Governor remain unmatched in the state.”
Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed also described the death as painful and very shocking.
Ahmed in a condolence message made available to journalists in Ilorin on Monday said: “It is particularly painful that Nigerians, especially the people of Kogi State have lost the services of Alhaji Abubakar Audu who was on the verge of been re-elected as the governor of Kogi State, going by the results of the election declared so far by INEC.
“It is however note worthy that the political history of Kogi State will be incomplete without a chapter on the contributions of Late Abubakar Audu to the democratic and infrastructural development of Kogi state”, Ahmed said.
Ahmed noted that late governor Audu has played his part in the political annals of Nigeria before leaving the world on a high note as a man popularly loved by his people as the results of the last gubernatorial election in Kogi, so far, has shown.
They all prayed to Allah to repose the soul of Audu, and to give his family, the people of Kogi State and others dear to him the fortitude to bear the loss.
