Politics Kogi Decides: 15 Facts You Need To Know About APC Candidate Abubakar Audu

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Prince Abubakar Audu, first Executive Governor of Kogi State was born on 27 October 1947, to the family of his Royal Highness, the late Pa Audu Oyidi, Orego Atta of Igala Land and the paramount ruler of Ogbonicha-Alloma in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State.

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Life and Career

- Prince Abubakar Audu, 68, has already been the governor of Kogi state twice. His first tenure was from January 1992 until November 1998 and the second from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2003

- In 1991, he was appointed Executive Director of FSB International Bank PLC

- He studied banking and personnel management in London for three years and worked for 25 years in various capacities at management level at First Bank – formerly known and Standard Bank.

- A Fellow of the Association of International Accountants of London, as well as fellowship of the Chartered Institute of Industrial Administration of Nigeria

- In 1993, he and the member of his family were special guests of the British Prime Minister, John Major, at No 10, Downing Street where he hosted them to a State Banquet.

Read: See LIST of 22 Candidates For The Kogi Governorship Election

Politics and Achievements

- After Kogi state was created from parts of the old Benue and Kwara states in 1991, Audu as a notable son of the soil was invited to contest for governorship. He won the election in November 1991 under the platform of the National Republican Convention (NRC) and was sworn-in in Jenuary 1992.

- In 1998, Audu was elected again, now with the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP).

- He also contested in the 2003, 2007 and 2012 Kogi state gubernatorial elections but lost.

- One of his major achievements is a complete transformation of Lokoja infrastructure: he established three different housing schemes for public officers, established television and radio stations.

-The outstanding achievements of Prince Abubakar Audu have been acknowledged by several organizations within and outside Nigeria through awards and honours presented to him.

- Prince Audu completed several landmark projects within four years. They include: 250 units Housing Estate, a Sport Complex, a Specialist Eye Hospital and 25 other medical Institutions. Others are: a Special Government Girls Secondary School on student exchange programme, 350 borehole schemes, 300 kilometers of township roads, the procurement of 100 transit buses and completion of 40 rural electrification projects.

- He also pioneered the construction of the first ultra modern state liaison office in Abuja. His administration also built an ultra modern stadium and a five star hotel in Lokoja, the Confluence Beach Hotel.

- After he left office in 2003, he was charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) with corruption. His case has been on for 12 years.

-He was also named the best governor in the 1999-2003 dispensation, despite being a governor on the platform of the opposition, the ANPP.

- Audu has promised the people of the state that he will revive the moribund Ajaokuta Steel Rolling

Prince Abubakar Audu emerged as the candidate of the APC at the August 28th Kogi State gubernatorial primary election. Subsequently, he announced James Abiodun Faleke, a legislator, as his running mate. The successive PDP governments in Kogi state are currently facing harsh criticism due to the state of affairs in Kogi, as unemployment has increased greatly and infrastructure is fast deteriorating. It is hoped that with the APC now at the helm of affairs, the election in the state this time around will be void of rigging and voter intimidation, and that perhaps, Audu may just follow in the footsteps of Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria's current president who finally won the presidential election on his fourth attempt.
 
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