You don't need to be a seer to know what all these are all about. Nigeria political terrain does not tolerate any opposition or challenge of any sort. Once  Akpan UdoUdehe declares his ambition to contest the position  Godswill Akpabio is presently occupying, from then on, the battle line was drawn. Friendship is gone, we are now enemies as you are either for us or you are against us

But unknown to Akpabio, the new challenger, his former friend and former drinking buddies, knowing the ins and outs of Akpabio inner sanctum did not bother wasting his time going into war with Akpabio for the PDP primaries, where Akpabio has perfected his plans to politically destroy him and bury him alive, he rather jumped well ahead of time into ACN.

So with deft move Akpan Udoudehe has killed two birds with one stone. First, he has now an ample time to build his political fan base and political map.  Secondly, he has caught Akpabio unawares and left him dazed. Against Governor's plan, there won't be any PDP primaries between involving the two men, of which would have left Mr Udoudehe little time to consolidate if he has decided to join the ACN after the PDP primaries- scheduled for his defeat by the incumbent.

Now with time on his hand/side, he has managed to decimate Akpabio forgone concluded election of 2011 and his ready made structure as sizeable chunk of his party members left with him into the ACN. Plus before hand, the ACN were making waves and inroad into the terrain that were original mapped as a no-go area for the opposition since 1999.  All over the place the ACN and Udoudehe WHO from Ibibio, the largest ethnic tribe in Akwa Ibom gaining momentum and Nigeria still stooped in their tribal politic, him being an Ibibio is a got plus over Akpabio who hails from a smaller tribe (Annang) and Annang land is where Udoudehe also chose to pick his running mate to snatch few votes from Akpabio.

It is obvious that Udoudehe is not a saint but he pulled a political masterstroke on Akpabio using his inner circle information and all the PDP secrets and electioneering tricks he once enjoyed with Akpabio as paddies.  Akpabio is obviously now lashing out as any true Nigerian politician is expected to and also judging by Mr Jega choice of bringing in the 1993 option A4 at the last minute without any warning, there is every chance that the opposition or Udoudehe stands a reasonable chance.
Even if he fail to win in the end, it's no brainer that he is a very formidable opponent, something Godwill Akpabio and his PDP party is not use to in the past.

A bad move was that no opposition party or candidate shall campaign in Annang land by Akpabio and his oversealots supporters. A very big mistake and the catalyst that switch on the chain of event. His PDP, just like in the past, seriously set out to implement there policy of free Annang land of opposition campaign.  For many months before now, PDP had successfully disrupted many opposition rallies, especially of the ACN, and one of those includes, denying them the use of many public facilities for their campaign. Uyo township stadium was initially locked against the ACN,  when Ribadu campaign train was originally scheduled into Akwa Ibom but it seem something happened and they were allowed at the last minute to use the stadium.
Akpabio also tried but failed to co-opt the state's Commissioner of Police into the political game, but the commissioner stood his ground and decided to play a neutral observer and only a couple of weeks ago, the said Police Commissioner was mysteriously transferred to another command and in comes the one that is willing play ball according to his host politicians courtesy of ever seemed new PDP henchman at Kam Salem House- IGP Ringin.

On that faithful Tuesday morning when Udoudehe set out for his campaign tour of Ikot Ekpene, neither he, nor his followers would have envisaged what would happen later that afternoon and the chain of event that is to follow.  As their campaign train were approaching Ikot Ekpene, they must have sensed that all is not well.  According to reliable sources, there was hostility in the air, so much so that you can feel it and that something horrible is about to unfold.
However, they were not wrong;. On arrival at the rally venue, they met a hostile crowd,  they were barred from entering the venue of their scheduled campaign by those they called PDP thugs and sympathisers. On second thought, they decide to move to a nearby school and also met the same hostility and were told in an uncertain term that opposition rallies are not welcome in Annang, the birth place of the governor.
But unlike before, the ACN decided not to bulge this time, that they will have their rally there come what may.

From this point, thing start to get out of hand and it was free from all. All sorts of dangerous weapons were used by both parties. There is no gain saying that PDP got the upper hand, since Ikot Ekpene is the home town of Akpabio, so has more fighting armies available. Three persons were killed according to my source, many were fatally wounded, many ACN vehicles were burnt or smashed.  Their standard bearer and gubernatorial candidate who was caught up in the fracas John Akpan Udoudehe was shot at, as bullet holes in his vehicle later showed according to eye witnesses, but managed to escape unharmed with minor bruises.

Then the final straw that broke the Carmel back- Rumour started circulating all over the state of what has happened in Ikot Ekpene and that Mr Akpan Udoudehe has been shot dead in the incident. There was also unconfirmed rumours too that in Uyo, the capital of the state and also the Ibibio hearlland, that some PDP sympathisers were dancing and jubilating on the street over the supposed demise of the ACN candidate.

What happened next was a case of no one has monopoly over violence as many Ibibio’s/ACN supporters came out of the street, still believing that their son has been murdered in Annang land, the birth place of Governor Akpabio and its difficult not to know where the accusing fingers were pointing.
These irate mob now attacked anything with semblance of PDP on it, supporters of the government or Akpabio and including GEJ campaign head office in Uyo was razed to the ground.  While this was happening, its obvious that both Akpabio/Udoudehe were physically oblivious of what has happened in Uyo in retaliation to what happened in Ikot Ekpene earlier.
Then the next day, blame and counter blames were flying from all corners with the state control electronic media fanning the amber that is already charged.  Then the governor decided that the attack was against his very person, wherefore constitute a treason offence. Both the presidency and Police Headquarters in Abuja agreed. Akpan Udoudehe was then personally invited to Abuja by the IGP for questioning over his own version of event.  On arrival in Abuja, he realised that he wasn't there as originally thought to answer any questions. He was promptly arrested and few minutes later was charged with treason, denied bail same day and was locked up.

One of his solicitors was also arrested and charged for making a disparaging remark the day before on TV against the person of the president Goodluck Jonathan. ACN chieftains in Akwa Ibom all went underground, under the threat of arrest by the police in Akwa Ibom and the next day a truck load of their supporters were arraigned on various charges in courts across the state, some of them still with untreated wounds sustained during the fracas before their arrest.

In few days time, one of this men, Akpabio or Udoudehe will surely become the governor of Akwa Ibom for the next four years. Politicians being the sort of animal they are, they may decide to reconcile over their booty and as usual they will term what happened as a family affair.  In fact it never even happened at all. But the echo of what has happened will live long, as the seed of discord has now been sowed between the Ibibio’s and the Annang people, courtesy of the ambition of two men to rule over other men. That is Nigerian kill and bury politics.

That is Nigerian Politics, you can only play a dirty game thus far, beyond that, you will need to become deviously deadly. Politics is a DO or DIE affair, Winner Takes all, Losers die a horrible death.

Unfortunately our Naijaesque youths are hardly the Politically Conscious type. it would be a wonderful sight to see a political revolution from the youths of Nigeria, They are the future whose present/future has been mortgaged on the altar of corruption.

Eziachi, Thanks for the writeup

Poster, thank you for a good report.

dayokanu:

Eziachi, Thanks for the writeup

You are welcome my friend!

Excellent and insightful analysis. The politics of desperation. It is quite unfortunate that the real losers here will be the people of Akwa Ibom state. Irrespective of who wins the election, the state will never be the same again. There will be mutual suspicion between the Ibibio and Annang people.   The question is, why did Akpabio think that it is alright to prevent the opposition from campaigning among his tribe? That is playing tribal card. He has just destroyed his state due to his desperation!

Wow! The more I learn about Nigeria. . . .

Gawd, yall have a loooong way to go. Change woulda been easy if a sizeable population of the people havent been brain-washed into thinking corruption and all sorts of crimes are acceptable!

Eziachi:

But the echo of what has happened will live long, as the seed of discord has now been sowed between the Ibibio’s and the Annang people, courtesy of the ambition of two men to rule over other men. That is Nigerian kill and bury politics.

Saddest part of the whole matter to me.

Anyway, thanks Eziachi.

pluto04:

Excellent and insightful analysis. The politics of desperation. It is quite unfortunate that the real losers here will be the people of Akwa Ibom state. Irrespective of who wins the election, the state will never be the same again. There will be mutual suspicion between the Ibibio and Annang people.   The question is, why did Akpabio think that it is alright to prevent the opposition from campaigning among his tribe? That is playing tribal card. He has just destroyed his state due to his desperation!

Yes thing will never be the same again as you rightly said. The saddest part is that Ibibio and Annang people are the most trusted and peaceful people you will ever meet.

Excellent write up OP!

Nigerian politics is so rotten! SMH

An annang man will never smell,govt house again we know we will die but it will never be the same again

The sad truth is that politics is still being played along ethnic lines.

Akpabio didn't physically supervise the attack on udoedehe in Annang land---- But the ACN aspirant was present when his supporters were going on rampage in uyo, sources say he was present when they burnt the government cars--- that's where he is having his problems--- though i find it hard to believe but i called my guys in uyo who confirmed it.

i must commend you for shedding light on this story

babasoty:

Akpabio didn't physically supervise the attack on udoedehe in Annang land---- But the ACN aspirant was present when his supporters were going on rampage in uyo, sources say he was present when they burnt the government cars--- that's where he is having his problems--- though i find it hard to believe but i called my guys in uyo who confirmed it.

Trust me, both men were not in Uyo when it happened. Akpabio was out campaigning in some local govt area, Udoudehe had just escaped being killed in Ikot Ekpene, so cannot be in two places at the same time but he must have arrived Ibibio land that evening, whether Uyo? Its no clear but not at the time of the fracas.

Remember that the Uyo incident started because his people/supporter believed the rumour that he has been shot dead in Ikot Ekpene, so does it make sense that he was there when it was the rumour of his death that ignited the flame?