The Igala socio-cultural group, Igala Vanguard has cautioned the state government to steer clear of the family of late governor of Kogi State, His Excellency, Prince Abubakar Audu.
In a statement signed by the convener of the group, Eng. Lawrence Akpa, the state government was warned to “stop dropping the name of the late statesman in matters that are nursery and infantile and also stop being meddlesome in the affairs of the Abubakar Audu family.”
The statement reinforced the truth that the late Prince Abubakar Audu “was in his lifetime a pride to the Igala Kingdom and was a strong promoter of a United and progressive Kogi State – a project He lived, worked and laid down his life for. He also contributed immensely to the growth and development of the APC and deepening of the democratic space of Kogi state and Nigeria in general.”
The statement noted that “his victory at the polls of 2015 was a resounding endorsement of His leadership ideals by the people of Kogi State starting from the Igala nation. He labored for the emancipation of the state and where it was inevitable paid with his dear life. Unfortunately, this act of patriotism has not been recognized by the present government under Yahaya Bello that is hell bent on embarrassing the former first family.”
Engr. Akpa recalled that “a while ago when the idea of naming the Kogi state university after the former governor was muted by Governor Yahaya Bello, the same Gov. Yahaya Bello sabotaged the initiative by his proxies as a method of ensuring the legacies of the late visionary leader are diminished. While is on record that the state government got its bid done, the blame was cleverly shifted to the hapless State Assembly which is notorious for doing the bidding of Emperor BELLO at every point in time.”
It is also noted that the “state government in a tactical mud-sliding voyage has decided to attack anybody perceived to be uncomfortable with the current dictatorship in place and will stop at nothing to bring such an individual to disrepute not excluding the political enigma who fought with his blood for the victory Bello/Edward Onoja are enjoying today.
“Our memory of Audu is that of a strong charismatic politician who fought for the emancipation of the people. He is also a strict disciplinarian who wouldn’t condone any form of executive rascality or nefarious activity as a result of which not individual or group with an unclear ideology could be associated with him. These attributes were imbibed by members of his family including His children who are products of excellence having been afforded the highest standards of education and exposure which currently reflects in their attitudes and comportments in private and public.
“In as much as the state government led by Yahaya Bello and Edward Onoja have made it a point of duty to stain the good name of the family of the late Abubakar Audu, it is in our opinion that not only is their attempt repugnant, it is an exercise in futility because since water can not be squeezed out of dust, thy will only succeed in attracting resentment to themselves because the igala nation will not forget the man who paid the supreme price that the name of the Igala nation may be reckoned with across the globe.”
“We hereby advise that rather than dissipate resources building on nothing, the Kogi state government should focus on cushioning the effects of the misfortune it has brought in itself which has caused their electoral value to diminish especially in the Igala nation.
“If the state government intends to tap into the goodwill of the late State man, it should start by identifying the ideals he lived for and consolidate on them rather than chase shadows by attempting to muzzle its way through by arm-twisting the heir apparent to the political dynasty of the late unrivaled leader Especially when it is on record that despite the unprecedented failures of the government, no member of the immediate family of the late political tour he bearer of the Igala nation has abused or criticized the government or by any means projected them in their deserved bad light in any public forum.
“The igala vanguard is not unaware of desperate plans of the state government to ruffle, abuse and molest the heir of the late Political leader of Igala Kingdom by resorting to false and wild claims of his links to Heinous crimes and other acts of civil unrest and violent crimes that cannot be substantiated. We however strongly advise the government to busy itself with productive ventures and desist from picketing Mohammed Audu or any member of the family of the late sage because there will be a boomerang with resultant effects that will be far reaching especially on those who allow themselves to be used to execute this evil agenda.”
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