Speech Presented By Obong Attah At The Declaration Of Sen. Udoedehe For Governorship 2011

Akwa Ibom isongo … Akwa Ibom mma … Oyei oyeiyei Bari Ofuri Akwa Ibom … PDP … Power to the people.

Let me tell you, good people of Akwa Ibom State that today is a very special day, I am very happy to be part of this day. Sitting down there and listening to one speaker after another, I heard one word being used over and over and over again, and that word is C-H-A-N-G-E.

I want to tell you today that change just has to be …that democracy feature. And I say it because in 2003 when I wanted a second term, over ten (10) people in PDP expressed dissatisfaction with what I have done in the State and expressed determination to contest that election against me. That was good because that was democracy. And today if people stand up to say they want change, that they are not satisfied with what is going on, they are entitled to their opinion, because I tell you that they are the foundation of democracy.

There is a young man who has refused to sit back in his comfort zone and murmur and crumble against the things that are going on, but has decided that he will come out with determination to change the things that are going wrong in the State.

Personally, I identify with such courage and encourage him and support it.

One thing I will say to you is that everybody knows that evil only prevail when good men refuse to do something about it. … Even in the Military, the military people say: “When the terrain changes, you change formation”. So this change can come from within. So if the leader who elected you to a political setting … then those circumstances change and you refuse to change with the circumstances, it becomes irrelevant.

People want the change and people have the right to demand for that change. And as I have said and as far as I am concerned, only last week you saw me in Kano commiserating with the family of the late Abubakar Rimi, God rest his soul in peace, and I said the one great attribute that I admire most in that man was that he didn't just oppose for the sake of opposing, but he believed in his position, he believed in his opinion and it didn't matter to him if his position differ from everybody else's, he will make his point and hold on to it.

That is courage, that is conviction and we need such courage and determination to carry out our conviction to be successful in politics and in governance and that is why I admire the courage of the young man called Senator John Udoedehe.

There are many people who share his opinion but they are frightened and scared to express it. But he has come out to us to say: “I belief in change and I'm determined to be the instrument of that change”. We must encourage that. Now for somebody to decide to give a voice to all of you, because I belief all of you here want the same thing as Senator Udoedehe wants and that is change, I'm sure you represent one fraction of Akwa Ibom people that want that change. So for somebody to come and give voice to all of you, you are to thank him and support him.


Now let me say this, what has happened has become a major challenge to our party, the PDP. Challenge in the sense that, I have had the privilege of reading the report submitted by the Peace and Reconciliation Committee led by Gen. Ikewachukwu and the very last sentence in that report says: “there must be inclusiveness”.

I want to stand here and give notice, and if you like it, warning, to the PDP and any party for that matter, that any party that excludes all of you here and those that you represent from the party, that party is running to failure. There is no way anybody can say exclude this number of people and hope to win in Akwa Ibom State , because this is Akwa Ibom State and you represent Akwa Ibom State.

After all, the elders in our party, the National Working Committee must sit up and take note and decide to effect this inclusiveness that was recommended by the Ikewachukwu Committee. Two important recommendations were given for achieving that inclusiveness. One was that the man that today parades himself as the Chairman of the party must step down. The second was that you all here must be guaranteed, and I marked the word “guaranteed”. Congress, free congresses from the ward to chapter, to the State so that you can elect people that truly represent the PDP. This has to happen so that you can all come back and belong fully as you want to in the PDP. That is the challenge that faces PDP elders today and the challenge that faces the PDP.

Now, I ask you a question: So who is this brave, great young man that I said has courage? His name is Senator John Udoedehe. Most of you knew him when he was a Council Chairman; many of you knew him when he won election to become the Senator representing this senatorial district. Many of you knew him when he was the Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory. Some you said, he is focused, is strong willed, is strong minded, why not? Those are good attributes of a politician. Some of you always said he is very fearless, he can abuse people as he pleases and so on. I, standing here have been at the receiving end of some of that.

But I will tell you with all honesty and you all know this, it is true that when a child washes his hands clean, he can eat with the elders. John Udoedehe has washed his hands so clean that today he can eat with Kings. And I want also to remind you that when Christ was hanging on the cross, there were two guilty fellows hanging one to his left and one to his right hand side. All of them have been vagabonds; they were accused of worst things than they have accused Senator Udoedehe. One of them maintained his position, he refused to admit that he was wrong, very stubborn to the end and he was not promised paradise. But the other one recognized his fault and said: “God, I am sorry”, and that very day he was in paradise with Christ. John Udoedehe standing here and I'm not afraid to raise his hand (steps closer and raised Senator Udoedehe's right hand) and present to you (loud uncontrolled ovation)… John Udoedehe standing here (loud ovation wouldn't let him)…, PDP … PDP … Power to the people …
Let me just conclude immediately by saying that Senator John Udoedehe standing here has said to you: “give me the opportunity and I will take all of us to paradise”. I encourage you to support him, to give him that same. I'm saying this without prejudice to anybody else that may sum up the courage to say, “I want to do these things”. God bless Akwa Ibom State. God bless Senator John Udoedehe.