Row in ADC as party zones chairmanship position to Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District 

By Itoro Bassey 

Ahead of the nationwide congresses of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in April, a meeting of stakeholders from the Akwa Ibom State Chapter of the party, convened in Ikot Ekpene on Wednesday by the state Chairman, Hon. Duke Dick, ended in a fiasco following alleged hijacking of the party’s zoning arrangement for the election of the next state chairman.

It was gathered that the meeting flopped after one of the party’s chairmanship hopefuls from Abak local government area, believed to be backed by Senator John James Akpanudoedehe, the party leader in the state, was overpowered by allies of Hon. Dick Duke, state chairman of the party.

At the meeting yesterday, the chairmanship position was zoned to Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area specifically to stall Senator Udoedehe’s ally from Abak local government area in favour of two contending forces from Ikot Ekpene local government area who are also not for Udoedehe.

The ADC in Akwa Ibom State is the outcome of a coalition that includes the Labour Party, led by Mr. Uduak Udoh, who was the party’s governorship candidate in 2023; the Action Alliance (AA), led by Mr. Jeremiah Akpan from Ibiono Ibom LGA; the Young Progressives Party (YPP) bloc; the ADC bloc, led by Duke Dick; and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), led by Senator Udoedehe.

On Tuesday, some loyalists of Senator Udoedehe and those of Duke Dick attended a meeting at Mr. Uduak Udoh’s residence, where they zoned the chairmanship position to Ikot Ekpene local government area to the dissatisfaction of Udoedehe’s supporters who, after a second thought, conceded to the game given that Akpanudoedehe has an eye on a core loyalist from Abak.

But things went sour for Udoedehe’s men on Wednesday when party stakeholders in Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District zoned the office to Ikot Ekpene local government area.

At Ikot Ekpene local government area, a former House of Representative member, Hon Patty Etete Ineme who is backed by a onetime PDP State Vice Chairman, Chief Sunny Ibanga, is said to be interested in the party chairmanship position.

Hon Ineme and Ibanga registered in the party two weeks ago and to give Ineme and Ikot Ekpene the nod, Chief Ibanga is said to have already donated his property located in a strategic location in Uyo to serve as the party’s office.

A source who attended the meeting narrated to INSIGHT newspapers that, “the Duke Dick’s group does not recognise Senator John Udoedehe as leader of the party despite Mr Rotimi Amaechi’s intervention. Hon. Duke wants to return as state chairman but he is not backed by Akpanudoedehe. His men maneuvered the zoning process to Ikot Ekpene where Duke has strong allies as an alternative plan.

“The Uyo meeting held at Uduak Udoh’s residence was tensed. Hon Duke Dick has not attended any meeting convened by Akpanudoedehe. His allies now working with the rugged opposition leader don’t want his supporters in Ikot Ekpene and Eket senatorial districts to become the next state chairman because it could jeopardise their plan to align the party with the APC under the guise of the Governor Umo Eno’s Akwa Ibom united mantra”.

“The major hurdle facing Uduak Udoh and Obong Jeremiah Akpan, the leading gubernatorial aspirants in the party, is wresting control of the party from Pastor Umo Eno’s Akwa Ibom United project,” a highly placed source who attended both zoning meetings informed this reporter on Wednesday.

But the Udoedehe group seems uncomfortable with Duke Dick’s maneuvering to zone the chairmanship position to Ikot Ekpene local government area, as it could jeopardise the former FCT minister’s chances of securing the party’s governorship ticket if he is interested in running in 2027.

“If Senator Udoedehe does not exercise his authority as the leader of the party, the Duke’s group and those who want to undermine him will ensure that he fails to secure the governorship ticket in 2027, assuming he is interested,” said a loyalist of Senator Udoedehe, who wished to remain anonymous, when contacted for an update on the situation in the party ahead of the Congresses. .

Senator John James Akpanudoedehe has a history of setbacks in the opposition parties he helped establish in Akwa Ibom State politics. In 2011, after a fallout with then-PDP Governor Godswill Akpabio, Udoedehe contested the governorship seat under the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) but was defeated by Akpabio. Aniekan Akpan, the then ACN state chairman, allegedly dumped him for the PDP and testified on behalf of the PDP at the governorship tribunal.

In 2015, Udoedehe faced another defeat when he lost the APC primary election to Mr. Umana Okon Umana, a newcomer to the party who had recently defected from the PDP. Amadu Atai, the state chairman of APC, whom Udoedehe had previously supported to become party chairman, chose to support Umana, who ultimately lost the general election to former Governor Udom Emmanuel.

In 2019, Udoedehe backed the late Ime Okopido for the position of state chairman of APC. However, Okopido aligned himself with Obong Nsima Ekere, the former NDDC MD/CEO, who was then influential within the party. Ekere went on to lose the election to Udom Emmanuel.

In 2023, Udoedehe backed Mr. Austin Ekanem from the Uyo Senatorial District as the state chairman of APC. Chief Godswill Akpabio, who was a federal minister at the time, was said to have scuttled Udoedehe’s chances of winning the party ticket when his loyalist, Mr. Stephen Ntukekpo, who is now the State Chairman of the APC, ousted Mr. Ekanem in a case he filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, claiming that he had won the party’s chairmanship position. Amid the turmoil that ensued, Udoedehe defected to the NNPP and subsequently lost the general election to the current Governor, Pastor Umo Eno.

Udoedehe immediately aligned himself with Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, and Nasir El-Rufai, among other political heavyweights in Abuja, to form the coalition that later joined the ADC. From the meeting in Ikot Ekpene, it is clear that strong forces are emerging within the party to exert control and keep him in check.