Okon Uwah’s Murder: Cover-up, riddles by brother- in-law * Gideon Udoko’s sponsors exposed

The relationship between the assassinated All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate for Ukanafun State Constituency, Obong Okon Uwah and his former brother-inlaw, Mr. Gideon Amos Udoko was lubricated with palpable suspicion, family sources hinted the paper.

Apart from pecuniary reward, the late Uwah who was the deputy speaker in the State Assembly had compensated Udoko with a car, Toyota Corolla which the lawmaker later got it back. Although there was no physical expression of annoyance by Uwah’s former driver, there are indications that the action had fuelled the long existing cold war dating back to Uwah’s refusal to give express consent to Udoko’s marriage to Uwah’ sister on the ground that Amos Udoko alias Mkpohoeto was executed by firing squad at Etinan in the late 1970’s.

The claim by Udoko that he was when his bother in-law was clubbed to death when he was the convener of the meeting with the boys cast some doubt on his sincerity. If he did not witness the killing of the foster-father to his wife, how come that his boys perpetrated the act without the master? It follows that those accused by Udoko of committing the crime are mere figment of his imagination.

Investigation by the paper reveals that the idea of naming some sponsors were clearly politically motivated. A source that refused to be mentioned said as soon as Uwah was murdered, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain and hotel proprietor invited Udoko for a meeting in Uyo. It was at this meeting that the idea of cooking up a list was mooted. It was not the first time those politicians ganged up against Uwah. Sometime in 2012 the same people who drafted the list of sponsors of the barbaric act had imposed ANPP councilor in ward 9 where Uwah was the political leader, damaged his car and wounded a former Ukanafun Local Government Council Chairman who accompanied Uwah on the day of Local Government elections day. To further rubbish his amazing political career, they also sponsored media campaign to paint Uwah in funeral colour that he was nursing senatorial ambition against Governor Godswill Akpabio. A prominent politician from Ukanafun in telephone chat with our reporter said it was a battle for political leadership among his Afaha kinsmen who saw the genial and generous politician with intimidating crowd.

Udoko is yet to prove the depth of involvement of those listed as sponsors. Where did the alleged sponsors have a meeting to arrive at the idea of eliminating Uwah? The paper will soon make public the names of those who sponsored Udoko to cook-up the list of the alleged sponsors of the barbaric act.

Obong Uwah was killed at Nkek, his brother-in-law’s place who convened a political meeting on Wednesday, 18th March, 2015 with those Udoko described as “My boys” who turned round to kill the former deputy speaker.