The Kogi State Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Hadi Ametuo has refuted reports that he appealed to Kogi State citizens to elect his party’s gubernatorial candidate, Prince Abubakar Audu, to enable him (Audu) return to the state, the N11 billion allegedly embezzled by the former governor while in office.

Speaking in a chat with Vanguard, yesterday, Ametuo, who was said to have made the appeal while addressing newsmen after the Eid el-Kabir 2015 prayers, described the report as the desperation of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP), adding that the cheap propaganda has exposed their weakness.

“How could I say Prince Abubakar Audu will return money if elected, when Audu never stole a dime while in office? Prince Abubakar Audu is a shrewd manager of resources and he is incorruptible. Over the years, he has been the poster of opposition politics in Kogi State, because of his desire to see to the development of the state,” he said.

The Kogi State APC chairman, who also described Audu as a man of integrity, said 2015 is the year of APC to uproot the non-performing PDP from Laggard House.

He said: “The PDP should start preparing their handover notes because the people of the state will reject them on November 21. They have failed the Kogi State, a situation which has repudiated their tenancy in Laggard House.

“Today, Kogi State is one of the least developed states in the nation despite the comparatively high allocation coming into the state. With low allocations, Prince Abubakar Audu was able to build all the institutions you find in the state today. We are confident of defeating them at the poll.”

APC, a Party of confused people – PDP

However, the Publicity Secretary of the PDP in Kogi State, Prince Bode Ogunmola has carpeted Prince Abubakar Audu for accusing his party of being behind the alleged N11 billion scandal reports that has dominated political discourse in the state over the last two weeks.

Reacting to reports made by the campaign organization of the APC governorship candidate that PDP was the brain behind the story, Ogunmola asked the APC to put its house in order and look inwards for scapegoats.

“Their claim that we are launching propaganda against Prince Abubakar Audu is untrue and a ranting of a confused party that is pregnant of defeat. Their chairman who was alleged to have made the statement is not a member of our party. Kogi people know the truth.

“To us in PDP, the forthcoming governorship election is about issues, it is about the celebration of a governor, Idris Wada, who has achieved so much. We are concerned about telling Kogi people what Wada has done over the past three and a half years and what they should expect from him in the next four years.

“Audu is our regular customer. We have been beating him since 2003 and we hope to repeat it again on November 21 with the support of the Kogi people.”