APC mourns late politician, says he's irreplaceable

The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday said in late Prince Abubakar Audu, its candidate in Saturday’s governorship election in Kogi, it lost an irreplaceable politician.

This is contained in a statement issued by the Acting National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr Timi Frank in Abuja.

"To say that we are shocked and dumbfounded at Audu's death is to scratch our pains on the surface as the Kogi Prince typified what a real democrat radiates.

"A politician who chose to remain in opposition after losing his governorship in 2003 in spite of intimidations on him and rather chose to see the nation get its deserved change in leadership.

"The late Prince Audu remains irreplaceable not only in the politics of Kogi where he strode like a colossus but also in the firmament of our nation's political history,’’ it said.

It said that APC commiserated with his family, relations, people of Kogi and the party’s supporters across the world.

"We are hurt by his demise as we are sure that the late would-be governor would have emerged the best governor again and restored all that the locusts have eaten in Kogi State,’’ it added.

READ: Abubakar Audu reported dead after inconclusive Kogi guber election

Meanwhile, Rep. Yusuff Lasun, Deput Speaker, House of Representatives, has described the sudden death of Prince Abubakar Audu, All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Saturday election in Kogi as shocking.

In a statement by Mr Wole Oladimeji, his Chief Press Secretary, Lasun said that Audu was a true party man who fought till his last breath to see that APC was rooted in Kogi.

He lamented that ‎his death occurred at a critical time that APC had demonstrated that Kogi was part of the states it would controlled in the country.

Lasun said that the deceased was a democrat who devoted part of his time in helping the less-privileged in the society.

He prayed to Almighty Allah to give the people of the state the fortitude to bear the loss of "a great man and a philanthropic leader’’.

READ: Wada declares 3 days of mourning in Kogi over Audu's death

He added that Audu, a former governor of the state, would never be forgotten in the history of Nigeria "for his doggedness and determination to succeed’’.