Prince Audu was taken to a High Court in Lokoja, capital of Kogi state, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday, December 04, 2006 on 80-count charge. Imagine 80-count charge!
The Sun newspaper captured vividly, the scenario at the time he was led to the court thus: “Audu was taken to the court premises in handcuffs, around 10.08am, in a Peugeot Standard mini-bus marked Plateau A.G. 162-QAP and docked before Justice Michael Medupin.
“Major roads leading to the court premises – through police headquarters, NUJ Press Centre and Crowther Road – were cordoned off by anti-riot policemen to check vehicular movements.
“The tension led to the closure of offices of the Teaching Service Commission and Crowther Memorial College.
“After all the 80 charges were read to Audu, Olanipekun made an oral application for his bail, saying that some of the allegations were political charges, all of which, he argued, were bailable. He assured that as a senior citizen of Nigeria, who had also previously been governor, Audu would not jump bail.
“Counsel to EFCC did not object to the ex-governor being granted bail. However, he argued that Audu’s attorneys should not make ordinary oral application for bail.
“The trial judge. after hearing their arguments adjourned the case to Wednesday, December 6, for ruling on whether or not to grant the accused person bail. He also ordered that Audu be remanded in the EFCC custody in Abuja, but ordered the operatives not to handcuff the former governor.”
And about nine years after he was so humiliated, demonised, treated like a common criminal (the same way the security agents would treat armed robber, in handcuffs et al), Prince Audu is back, by hook and or crook, as a potential governor of the same Kogi state. And that is even when the same case for which he was so justifiably treated was and is still pending in court.
Without beating much about the bush, the question is “has APC made its governorship platform ready for Prince Audu as an escape route to evade justice with the so-called immunity, should he go ahead to win the election and become Kogi state governor again?” GreenBReports
