Author: The Nation

By Comrade Idoko Daniel Ogacheko

The history of Kogi State cannot be complete without the Prince of the Niger, Alhaji Prince Abubakar Audu. As the first and second civilian Governor of Kogi State, his remarkable achievements that gave birth to the modern Kogi speak volumes. He was a completely loyal and dedicated party man who never jumped ship in all his political voyages. In 2003, the PDP government in power rigged him out of office with federal might and despite all the enticements and inducements which graduated to oppressions and threats to join the PDP government, he was adamant and remained in the opposition party, the APC to strategize and synergize in order to dislodge them.

In the year 2007, he contested the governorship seat with the incumbent Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris and won but it was rigged again but as a man who believed in the rule of law, he sought redress in court and had the election annulled. That was how the incumbent PDP Governor was removed from office and an Okun man, Mr Clarence Olafemi who was then the Speaker of the house was sworn in as acting Governor in February, 2008, making an Okun man to have a taste of power at the Lugard house.

His ruggedness and doggedness paid off in 2015 when he contested for the governorship seat and was coasting to victory when the cold hands of death struck. That unfortunate and unprecedented occurrence created a lacuna that led to constitutional crises in Nigeria. In one of his campaigns in Okene, he promised to make power shift to the Central flank of the state, not knowing he was going to be the sacrificial lamb to wrestle power from the PDP to APC and shift it to Kogi central as he had promised. By the above analysis, the governorship seat has gone round and should return to the East this time.

This man did so much for the party in the state that the time is ripe for a post humus compensation by considering his worthy son, Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu, an accomplished investment banker of over 20 years standing who has now be cleared to contest the governorship seat of our dear state. He inherited his father’s political sagacity and capacity as exemplified by various developmental projects initiated and commissioned across the length and breadth of Kogi State, no wonder they say “a Lion must give birth to a Lion”. His character, charisma, commitment, courage and capacity have no equal. As a member of the APC campaign council, he demonstrated unparalleled commitment in all ramifications to ensure the success of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, our President–elect. Our people said ” if a man gives you a cow, you will not hesitate to use the hide to make a seat for his child”. In the light of the above, Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu should be massively supported to emerge the candidate of our party in the forth coming governorship primaries. He is arguably the most sellable and acceptable candidate with the contacts and connections across the three senatorial district of Kogi State to become our next Governor if given the chance by the grace of God.
Shuaibu Abubakar Audu has not left anyone in doubt about his immense leadership skills because as a man who Rose through the rank as an entry staff to become what he is today, an executive director at the Stanbic IBTC, has indeed shown the leadership traits and skills of his late father, Prince Abubakar Audu of blessed memory who became the father of Kogi modern day developments because of the leadership skills and experience he took with him from the banking sector.Among the siblings of the late patron of the Audu’s political dynasty, Shuaibu is the one today that is an accomplishself made man. He transversed today the banking sector like a colosus and the records are there for all to see.
It is therefore necessary that as we approach the Kogi 2023 gubernatorial primary of the All Progressive Congress(APC) in the state, there is an urgent need for the party to look at the best man to recruit as the guber candidate of the party, a man with the experience and leadership background that rings a bell in the political sphere and that person is Shuaibu Abubakar Audu.Yes, he is the Scion of his late father’s political dynasty and we have seen through history and recent political happenings in major democratic countries in the world that political parties have deliberately devised a means of compensating children of late political heroes with political office to replicate the work of their late father and asking this for the Scion of the late Audu’s political dynasty is not asking too much from his political party.The Kennedy’s, the Ford’s, the Clinton’s and the bush family’s have at one time or the other been compensated with the candidature of their parents,husband’s, brothers or even uncle’s political parties because their names riverberates continuously in the political space of their country because of the impressive performances of their patrons and this should be replicated in the party.
Political dynasties are seen as good in itself in other climes because it do not necessarily mean that if because of the performances of their patrons the party consider their scions for compensation in the form of them having the right of first refusal to be the candidate of a political party then it becomes a sign that the party has lost its emblem of being a meritocracy.This idea is Borne out of the fact that the influence passed over from generation to generation by this political father’s or patrons can be positively put to good use.
We should remember that in our case in Kogi state, we got good governance and most of the development in it’s physicality we now see in the state by and large from the late Prince Abubakar Audu and our state will do exceedingly well if we compensate his son Shuaibu with the candidature of the APC and ultimately the seat of the next governor of Kogi state in 2023.
So many would say that democracies and dynasties are far from incompatible to beat down the importance of this political compensation to the Scion of the late Audu but the buzz in a political household like that of the Audu’s is inevitably of politics and it would be odd if it will not spark an interest in at least someone from the family or his offspring.While other children and members of the late political household of the late Prince Abubakar Audu ventured into other areas of importance in life to make a living, Shuaibu was often taken into consideration about matters of state, politics and leadership when he was little more than a child by his late father or has seen in him the qualities as his political heir.He was alone among the political progeny of his era, at least in sharing the political curiosity of his parents.His desire to go into politics is never prompted merely by his interest in the subject;it is not also to defend the family’s political name but to continue just like his father to giving leadership, direction and development to the good people of Kogi state.He is considered today by many as”Champion Redoubtable”in defence of his father’s political reputation while other of his siblings are concerned about the family’s skin.Shuaibu has never been impelled not so much defensively to keep the family’s tradition going but by it’s history of service to the people of the state.

Finally, if nurture is a useful start to a political career,so too is a well known name.If you happen in Nigeria to be called an Obasanjo,Tinubu, or Buhari, all but the sleepiest voters will think they know something about you.If we are sincere with ourselves,the Audu political family is the best yet in the history of the state because of its impact to the political and economic development of Kogi state.Shuaibu Abubakar Audu is the advocate of a new type of politics dispensation that emphasizes the needs for the total development of Kogi state in all it’s ramification and we must compensate they Audu political family by supporting his Scion, Shuaibu to be the next governor of the state starting with his candidature of the APC in the primary election soon to come.

Ogacheko writes from Lokoja, Kogi State