THE SUNSETS RISES AGAIN ON J.J. UDOEDEHE
He is arguably one of football's most controversial, yet successful legends; one who always stirred a feeling of inevitability whenever he closed in on the opponents' defence and goalkeeper. This was because everyone knew what he was about to do; but very few could stop him. On account of his intimidating abilities also, he often traversed the thin line between confidence and arrogance; and almost always, with impunity. Whether it was in the panache of his clinical finishes, or in his 'in-your-face' celebrations, Aresnal FC legend, Thierry Henry certainly earned his distinction in the round-leather game.
There is also a 'Henry' in the game of politics. He is also highly controversial, yet boasts an intimidating political profile. He also evokes a feeling of foreboding amongst his political opponents, or any who find themselves on the other half of the political turf. Even his most seasoned opponents know that they would fail to acknowledge the political 'Henry' at their peril.
From the dark days of military dictatorships through the advent of the Fourth Republic, Senator John James Akpanudoedehe has astutely navigated Nigeria's geo-political terrain, garnering the requisite skills in the subtle art. Whatever might be said of him, he can't be fairly begrudged his survivalist's skills, especially in this milieu where premordial imperatives hold sway; as to his credit, he has effectively, even if controversially, deployed his skills, to swim amongst sharks.
Born in November 10, 1960 in Afaha Offot, Senator Udoedehe attended Holy Trinity College, Mbiakong Uruan between 1975 and 1979. He thereafter obtained a B.Sc in Sociology/ Anthropology from the University of Uyo in 1990; and followed up with an MSc\ PhD in Sociology of Development and from the University of Calabar, in 2006.Successfully defending his thesis in 2011.He also has an Executive Education on leadership in crisis from Harvard University,Usa. He began his working career as a Sales Manager /PA to the Chairman of Dajucom Nig. Ltd. and later became MD/Executive Chairman of his own company, John Silver Ltd. in 1987.
The Afaha-Offot born strongman of contemporary Akwa Ibom and Nigerian politics, then ventured into politics, and cut his political teeth early in life, as a student of the late Obong Etukudo Ekpro's school of politics. He soon earned a cult-like following of devotees and loyalists, who believed he was the best thing that ever happened to Akwa Ibom politics. Many others however, believed the worst about him.
Just like his mentor, controversy trailed Udoedehe's political history almost from the onset. A founding member of the PDP in Akwa Ibom State in 1999, he was elected Chairman of Uyo Local Government Area; but resigned due to decision of the then Administration of Navy Captain Joseph Adewusi to proliferate motor parks all over Uyo . In 1997, on the UNDP platform, he contested and won the senatorial elections for Uyo District, during the botched attempt to return Nigeria to democracy under General Abacha. In 1999, he contested again for the same office, on the platform of the PDP Party, and was elected to the Senate in May 1999. His Senate screening barely managed to pass, on account of stiff opposition posed by Party leaders in Akwa Ibom State, yet in the Senate, Udoedehe proved his mettle, by serving creditably in several Committees including: Industry; Labor; Finance and Apropriation; Internal Affairs; Information; Government Affairs; and Privatization (which he chaired). After the expiration of his tenure in May 2003,He was appointed the Chairman of board Federal College of Education, Potiskum and then,Presidential aide to former president Obasanjo 2004, Udoedehe was appointed Minister of State in charge of the FCT, Abuja in July 2007.
Senator Udoedehe has not only built his political fortunes, but has helped other politicians build theirs. He was Vice Chairman of the campaign organisation for ex-Governor Victor Attah's re-election in 2003, as well as Chairman of ex-Governor Godswill Akpabio's successful goverorship campaign in 2006/2007. He is also widely credited as being either directly responsible for, or instrumental to the good political fortunes of nearly all prominent politicians from Uyo Federal Constituency Appointed or Elective sinced 1999,today including but not limited to Perry Ntuk, Itak Eto,Uwem Ita Etuk,Bassey Albert,Enefiok Ekefre,Ekere Afia,Enobong Uwah,Emmanuel Ekpeyoung,Mike Enyong,etc; yet sadly, many of them have forgotten that his, was the hand that once projected them.
Udoedehe, faced his greatest political travails in his contest for the governorship of Akwa Ibom State in 2011. After losing the battle for internal democracy in the PDP to the incumbent Chief Godswill Akpabio, he promptly issued the famous political statement: "PDP cannot be my Egypt"; and decamped from the Party, to contest the governorship on the platform of the opposition AC which subsequently became the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Party. Udoedehe's belief that he seated Akpabio, and could therefore unseat him, gave vent to another famous political statement of his: "ami nkesin ekpo usung idim; ami nyung mbo nsio". (I created the masquerade which harasses people on the road to the stream, and I can stop him". But then, his efforts met with stiff and ugly opposition.
In the build-up to the elections, he was barred from campaigning in the Annang areas of the State (from where the incumbent Governor hailed). Loyalists of the then incumbent Governor, who issued the ban, did everything to frustrate his campaign, from pulling down his billboards in the area, to issuing threats of violence if he dared them. But of course, Udoedehe, noted for being a man of muscle and brawn, flouted the ban, and rightly so; because the Constitution of Nigeria gave him the right to campaign anywhere within his constituency. On March 22, 2011, when he actually visited the area for his campaigns, mayhem was let loose. His supporters were maimed or killed, and his vehicles burnt. He however completed his campaigns, and barely managed to leave the area alive.
What seemed to be reprisal attacks in Uyo, still remain unclear till date, with some claiming Udoedehe's irate loyalists planned the revenge mayhem, and Udoedehe's camp insisting that government agents were behind the attacks, with the sole aim of framing their principal. The government promptly accused Udoedehe of sundry crimes including the burning of over 500 vehicles and tricycles parked in the State Secretariat Complex, and bought by the State government for mass transportation, the burning of public and private buildings, and property, including the campaign office of the then President Jonathan, causing the deaths of many people, etc. He was arrested and charged with such weighty crimes as treason, vandalism, arson, etc; detained underground, tortured, incarcerated, and prosecuted. As part of his ordeal, he was flown in a helicopter from Abuja to Uyo, in the middle of the night, and lived in dire peril of his life, yet he faced this ordeal with uncommon courage. At the end of the 2011 elections, he was credited with 153,000 votes against Akpabio's 957,000; and there was no joy in the State. palpable gloom filled the air amongst a majority of the citizens who unequivocally stated that the elections were rigged against Udoedehe.
In the Election Petition Tribunal, and several court proceedings which followed from the Appeal Court to the Supreme court, Udoedehe was unsuccessful, inspite of the weight of evidence of irregularities perpetrated by thr ruling PDP during the elections, Udoedehe was tactically dispossessed of his right to his mandate, his rights, and justice. This was a sad period in the life of our judicial system when justice went to the dogs. A special panel on election violence was even set up with the main aim of sentencing him and now, president buhari After losing out, Udoedehe continued to face the charges levelled against him for the mayhem in Ikot Ekpene on March 22, 2011. After a few years, he was finally exonerated and acquitted of all the bogus charges; which proved to the world that Udoedehe was indeed framed for the crimes he was accused of.
In 2013, after participating in the merger and constitutions subdrafting committee of the major opposition Parties into a new Party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Udoedehe sought and actually roamed the whole of Eket senatorial District loking for a suitable candidate to fly the party flags, it’s on record that he asked Bernard Udo,Patrick Ekpotu and Martins Udoinyang to decamp to the APC and contest on his support, but they refused and he then expressed his interest to run on its platform, and became the first aspirant to buy its nomination forms in the South South region. As usual, a mammoth crowd greeted this announcement, and occasioned the usual temporary grounding of economic activities, and gridlock in vehicular movement especially around the Abak road entrance to his luxurious Chapel Villa, Afaha Offot residence. During his campaigns, he insisted that the problem with Akwa Ibom State was that of leadership, as the State fed the nation, while its citizens died daily of poverty, penury, and starvation. This, he attributed to the fact that the leaders had turned kleptomaniacs. Udoedehe therefore geared up to challenge the ruling PDP and its candidate in the elections. But then, something like a palace coup played out in the APC Party nominations, which ousted Udoedehe from the driving seat of the Party in the State, and gifted Obong Umana Umana, Akpabio engine room and man friday (the former Akwa Ibom State Secretary to Government for seven years) with the ticket. Udoedehe severely criticized the tactic employed by his Party to bring in the former PDP weakling to replace him. He insisted that the adoption of the Option A4 formula which permitted the opening up of the stadium venue of the nomination exercise, to PDP delegates, and not the real APC delegates, was against the Party Constitution. His reservations and appeals fell on deaf ears, as his Party was bent on having its way. They then accused him of not having enough money to fight the ruling PDP. They accused him of not opening up space in the Party for others. They accused him of being selfish and stingy. They even alleged that he had negotiated monetary settlements with Akpabio, Udom, and by extension the PDP. So much muck was raked up to discredit Udoedehe, but then, Udoedehe was no stranger to such controversy. In the end, he has been proven to have kept his integrity intact, and shut the mouths of his detractors who were mainly old enemies always jealous of his political prowness. He singlehandedly laid the political structure of the APC in South South and Akwa Ibom and positioned all executives from ward levels to chapters and state at a time when nobody believed that Akwa ibom state could build an effective opposition.
Not many people might reckon with the size of the odds involved in fighting the determined- to-win-at-all-costs government of a full-blooded PDP State like Akwa Ibom, with an enormous financial war-chest, and the favorable ears of the Presidency. Knowing the political credentials of the PDP also, (a Do-or-Die Party), with a bad human rights record and a litany of unsolved murder and abuse cases in Akwa Ibom at the time, one should well note that only a trojan-like character like Udoedehe could engage in such a daunting battle. Udoedehe not only suffered terrible personal loss and injury, but also qualifies as the Akwa Ibom citizen who has suffered the greatest such loss and injury ever. In his battle to exercise his political mandate, he lost his 80% shares in Quality Ceramics and was the only Akwa ibom person who participated in privatization programme of the federal government and successfully bidded for NNMC oku iboku in 1999; paid the exacting financial costs involved in pursuing his cases to the Supreme Court level twice; his charming and hospitable wife, justina, was reported to have collapsed five times during his ordeal; and even wasted in health; etc; yet Udoedehe remained undeterred in his mission to liberate his people. Nobody will deny the fact that Udoedehe has the heart of a lion (a natural attribute of any born-leader); one who has seen blood, injury, destruction, amidst his political travails, but then has remained undaunted. None would deny the fact that people always queue behind a bold and courageous leader. None should also deny the fact that whatever controversy might trail Udoedehe, he deserves a place in APC history in Akwa Ibom State. Certainly , in Akwa Ibom State and in Nigeria.

God bless my leader! no want should test my loyalty to him! God would reward our movement,but i don't know how it going to do it,certainly