Udoedehe: Better on Sabbatical than Farewell

Senator John Akpan Udoedehe

By Abasifreke Effiong

Senator John James Akpan Udoedehe is like an archangel. He fits adequately into this rare comparison in strength, especially in the audacity to lead others into a positive revolt. But he is far off below in virtues from these Holy and highly placed agents of God, believed to rank third after the Son of God.

Udoedehe's audacity in the build-up to the 2011 gubernatorial election in Akwa Ibom State, made him the cynosure of all eyes, a leader with perhaps the highest number of emergency volunteers who rose up with a seeming consuming rage that was fiery enough to have truncated the second term ambition of Chief Godswill Akpabio, which at then did not enjoy a massive goodwill as it would have due to the saddening wave of violent crimes- particularly kidnappings and assassinations which made the State top security review for the first time in 23 years then.

It seemed everyone then who had the voice and was expected to speak up against the mindless killings of our illustrious sons and daughters who sought to express themselves freely, either by vying for the position of governor or protest the killing of their brethren, suddenly became mum. It was on the strength of that sad shortcoming of our elders that Udoedehe became a crusader, and stirred the already heavy hearts and fierce anger of the people against the government of Chief Godswill Akpabio.

With such power of an archangel, Senator Udoedehe moved into some communities. He did not speak much, yet he won tens of thousands of wailing hearts which ceaselessly shed blooded for loved ones who were either killed or kidnapped. With the unusual revolting determination Udoedehe saw in the people, he thought the battle to unseat the hated Akpabio was already won. He may not have known that hindsight is not a full view of reality. In that "salvation" course, more blood, blood of innocent people were spilled in Ikot Ekpene by people the government and security forces have failed to bring to justice till now.

Udoedehe suffered tortuous persecutions, more so were his supporters- the Volunteers who offered themselves, their time and resources for that great voyage. Every concerned Akwa Ibom indigene who had any reason to seek a change was not left out. From puddle filled community of Nung Oku Uruan, in Uruan, Iwok in Nsit Atai where at least three people were reportedly killed at Qua Iboe Church when gunmen invaded and disrupted a Church service and kidnapped General Edet Akpan, retired; the intimidating lurch of the "Positive" change's near revolution swept Ibesikpo Asutan where a business magnet, and former Assistant to Governor Victor Attah, Chief Paul Inyang was massacred by the bullets of AK-47, to the anthills in Ibiono, and to neighbouring villages to Ayadehe tributaries in Itu, to the quiet communities of Etinan, Nsit Ubium, then to a part of Eket, and Ikot Ekpene senatorial districts.

Everyone then seemed to have talked about Senator John Udoedehe, even the Powers that be were afraid of him. This popularity may have misled about forty self-acclaimed Prophets and Seers to spew their sentiments and reference it to God. I can recall exactly that particular event at the Positive Change House, along Udotong Ubo, where about two scores of " Prophets" gathered and prayed for Udoedehe's success and after the prayers, each of them relieved to the audience the Prophecy they had about the Positive Change project. I can recollect that after majority of them had said they saw success, a voice came and truly it was the VOICE OF GOD from one " Micaiah" which i later learnt is a Pastor in a small Fellowship in Ibesikpo Asutan. That man of God said the Lord has shown him a great struggle over a seat by a multitude led by someone who shows the strength of an archangel, against a few and in the end, the man who was already on the sit won and sat back. And when he inquired of the Lord why a few could defeat a great multitude, the Lord told him that the leader of the great multitude at one point in the past gave his signet before unseen oracles of this world to the leader of the Army he wanted to unseat. He added that the leader of that great multitude of Army will be defeated as many times as he wishes to fight.

Before that Man of God ended his Prophecy, the hall was rowdy and all eyes were opened to see the man who has spoken differently about the "King". I am sure it was the uneasy calm in the auditorium that compelled the Man of God to take the egress immediately after he delivered God's Verdict which majority of the congregation criticized.

All of that have become past tense now, we can only draw lessons from all those sad events. One lesson which i humbly wish to draw the attention of Distinguished Senator John Udoedehe to is that the tens of thousands of followers who supported the Positive Change revolution were VOLUNTEERS, and were not his paid agents. As it is with Voluntary services, the volunteers are the ones who decide the conditions for their services and engagement. And more than that, VOLUNTEERS ARE MOBILE, they work to gratify certain innate drives that money cannot give, and for one person at a time.

Volunteers do not work permanently for one person, they are mobile and are free beings who are adept at changing their course at the advent of every new opportunity, and as the subject of gratification changes.

Distinguished Senator, then in 2011, we knew what the drive for an alternate government was, those who made the rallying-cry needed strength and then you came like a wind, you did well to provide the wings of those Volunteers the strength to fly. To me, Senator Udoedehe conveniently succeeded in that fight by all measure of the word success. Except that success to many people would have meant winning the governorship. Success to me is a process, not an act, even the Bible views success as a Continuum where we are told "Paul planted and Apollo watered".

Yet another lesson in the Gospel that terminates with Joshua, the son of Nun, Moses' minister, is the convoluted journey of the Israelites from Egypt to Canaan. That lesson too shows that success is a process; he who plants may not water.

Everyone knows how hurtful disinheritance could be especially in politics. To those who continue to dwell on Udoedehe's 2011 outing to say it must have been Udoedehe or non else,the truth remains that if Senator Udoedehe were to be given the flag of the APC, for the December 28, governorship election, the Party's outing would have been less than minimal because the subject of gratification has changed so also has the tens of thousands of Volunteers who formed a multitude of army behind the Senator. Reality is that only a few of them are still holding on.

The infusion of new blood into the Party is a strength that has intimidated the Party's opposition, the PDP. This should be seen as such.

By all measure, Senator Udoedehe is a leader. He is different because he has his own fallibilties and strengths. The true measure of a leader is his STEADFASTNESS. As a leader of a Party it is expected that he must mobilize his community and friends, persuade his adversaries with superior arguments to see the world from his Party's World view.

Many false nuggets have been propounded about the future of Udoedehe and the APC in the State. This has only happened because the man at the centre of the controversy has decided to go on a French sabbatical.

Distinguished Senator, if you ask me, i will tell you that, you are right to go on sabbatical, but that your sabbatical is ill-timed considering the enormity of the task ahead and the days left before the elections.

Senator Sir, in peculiar times like this, the concern of every loyal Party man should be how to win the next elections for his Party and not fraternize with his opponents in a way that causes mudslinging of his personality. You will not be cherished because you helped your brother who is an opponent in another Party to win election against your Party. If you have all the supporters of this world yet you cannot win an election for your Party, then your popularity ends in nothingness. Such people the Bible calls them infidels.

Let me submit by leaving Senator John Udoedehe with this personal thought which may give insights to what should be the right wisdom. It is my contemplation that, if you have an enemy to fight, fight him with all your might , do not allow him a half -time and if your brothers within your household make you angry so that your enemy will have a half-time, ignore them and fight on till the title is won, then you can go back and address the enemy in your house; because each time you allow your enemy a half-time, to settle disputes at home, you allow him millions of breaths to fight you longer than he should have.

Abasifreke Effiong writes from Uyo, Nigeria