Drama as ‘Prophet’ fails to ‘resurrect’ Audu

FIRST, it was disbelief and shock that greeted the news of the sudden death of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in last weekend’s election in Kogi State, Abubakar Audu. Then reality began to dawn on the sad eventuality of death when all attention shifted from the collating centre of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), where the election had been declared inconclusive to Ogbonicha, home of deceased.

There had been some delay in arrangements leading to the burial of the politician on Sunday evening, according to Muslim rites. It was later scheduled to hold for 10.00a.m. yesterday, a situation that made friends and relatives besiege his palatial home early in the day.

After waiting endlessly for several hours without the burial taking place, tension began to mount as angry mourners started demanding the deceased’s corpse to be brought out. To forestall the breakdown of law and order, security personnel blocked the main entrance to the late politician’s home. This didn’t deter many of the angry well-wishers, who had gathered in their hundreds, from forcing their way into the compound, after travelling long distances to pay their last respects to Audu.

In a strange twist of development, amidst the ensuing chaos, a group of clerics emerged at the scene, led by a prophet, who claimed to have been invited to pray, not for the repose of Audu’s soul, but rather to revive him and bring the late politician back to life.

This interesting twist brought some frenzy into the crowd, who against all hopes, waited with bated breath for the unexpected to happen. Immediately, rumour began to filter into town and social media that the former governor had been resurrected.

At the scene, there was mild drama between the prophet and members of the Audu family, who had refused to let him in. The youths of Ogbonicha broke the door to the room where Audu was laid to allow the prophet gain access.

“The prayer man was allowed to enter the room according to the wish of the crowd and they all joined in the prayers for the resurrection of Audu with Holy Ghost fire renting the air as well as shouts of Allahu Akbar.

“Senator Dino Melaye and some family members came out through the back door to calm the angry crowd. While they were largely engaged in fervent prayers, others were weeping loudly by the door. As men and women of faith engage in fervent prayers to bring Audu back to life, others were digging his grave at one end of the compound,” a source told The Guardian.

However, the prophet failed to resurrect Audu, prompting the youths to go berserk, threatening to kill the prophet.

The burial was well attended as scores of the who-is-who in Nigerian politics as well as members of the business community were in Ogbonicha to give their last respect to the departed hero. There was an ocean of tears when his body was eventually lowered into the grave at past 2.00pm. The burial rites were conducted by a team of Imams from across Igalaland.