ADC GUBER ASPIRANT UDOEDEHE CITES POVERTY, UNEMPLOYMENT AS MOTIVATION FOR 2027 AKWA IBOM BID. (PHOTO).

 ADC Guber Aspirant Udoedehe Cites Poverty, Unemployment as Motivation for 2027 Akwa Ibom Bid

Senator John James Udoedehe, a governorship aspirant under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has declared that the persistent high levels of poverty, unemployment, and inequality in Akwa Ibom State have motivated him to contest the 2027 election.

Addressing a press conference in Uyo on Thursday, Udoedehe, a former National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), lamented that despite massive federal allocations to the state, these socioeconomic challenges continue to plague residents.

He expressed confidence in his ability to tackle these issues head-on, promising to create wealth, generate employment opportunities, and bridge the widening gap between the rich and the poor.

“What gives me strength and motivation to do what I’m doing is when I see the level of poverty, inequality and unemployment in the state,” Udoedehe said. “Any government that fails to answer these questions of poverty, inequality and unemployment has not started.”

The aspirant drew a comparison between past and present administrations, noting that the combined allocations received by former Governors Godswill Akpabio and Udom Emmanuel over 16 years were less than what Governor Umo Eno has received in just three years, yet poverty remains visible across the state.

“Check the budget of Akwa Ibom for the past two years whether it is speaking, whether the budget has a voice, not a matter of building blocks,” he added. “You see a man of 35 years having grey hair all over due to hardship.”

On the prospects of the ADC winning the election, Udoedehe said he successfully introduced the APC to Akwa Ibom, which later became the ruling party at the federal level. He expressed optimism that with proper grassroots mobilization and sensitization, the ADC would emerge victorious in 2027.

Responding to criticisms of being a serial governorship aspirant, Udoedehe clarified that he had only appeared on the ballot twice and remained undeterred. He cited the examples of Governors Alex Otti of Abia State and Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State, who succeeded after multiple unsuccessful attempts.

He also dismissed allegations that he was entering the race merely to collect money from the government and abandon his supporters midway, describing such claims as “baseless, false, blackmail and propaganda.”

“I am not coming to contest election because I want to collect money from anyone. I am contented with what I’m blessed with,” Udoedehe stated. “I have faced many ugly situations because of my people including imprisonment... just to implicate me because of fighting for my people.”

The aspirant urged the people of Akwa Ibom to set aside “joint stock hatred” and give him the opportunity to serve as governor, expressing confidence that proper enlightenment would lead voters to support him in the 2027 election.