After late APC governorship in Kogi state Prince Audu won the primaries with a total vote of 1104 to
defeat his closest rival and current APC flag bearer Alhaji Yahaya Bello who pulled 703 votes, Alhaji Yahaya Bello petitioned the national leadership of APC to disqualify Audu on the ground of not resigning as APC BOT among other factors.
In a petitioned titled " Petition Against the Emergence of Prince Abubakar Audu as the Flag Bearer of the All Progressive Congress for the Upcoming Gubernatorial Election in Kogi State: Appeal for his Disqualification and Fielding of Alhaji Yahaya Bello in his Stead"
In the petition, Alhaji Yahaya Bello accused Prince
Abubakar Audu of not resigning as a member of
the BOT of the party, as stipulated in the
Constitution of the party in Article (I) iii that states
that "any such party office holder or officer of the
party who is interested in contesting for an
elective position within or at a general election
shall resign 30 days before the date of the nomination or party primary for that office he is
contesting for."
"We know Prince Abubakar Audu did not resign
his position as a BOT member before the election
because he voted for himself in the election by
virtue of his membership of the BOT pursuant to
Article 14 (III) e) of the 2014 Guidelines for the
Nomination of Candidates for Public Office which
allows such party officers to vote as statutory
delegates" Part of the findings of the report was
that there was video evidence showing Prince
Abubakar Audu casting his vote at the primary
election.
Also in his petition, Alhaji Yahaya Bello also stated
that there was an indictment and pendency of
criminal trial bordering on financial crimes against
Prince Abubakar Audu by the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The report
also stated as part of its findings that "the
Committee found that the respondent in his
Nomination Form while providing an answer to
the question if he had any pending criminal cases
against him stated that he had a pending "EFCC
Political Case" against him. But when we visited
the EFCC headquarters to make enquiries and
verify these allegations, we confirmed that there
was a pending Criminal Trial: FRN V. Prince
Abubakar Audu & 1 Other Charge No. FCT/
CR/115/2013 for offences bordering on abuse of
office, theft of public funds and money laundering
all committed during the Respondents tenure as
the Executive Governor of Kogi State between
1999 and 2003"
The report also stated that " on the overall the
Committee finds it shocking that the Kogi State
Governorship Screening Committee successfully
screened the Respondent and gave him a clean
bill of health to contest the primary elections of
the party." It also read that " the Respondent
ought to have been prevented from voting as a
statutory delegate and for himself at the primary
elections."