2027: Why Conspiracy against Gov Mbah is Dead in Arrival

Ifeanyichukwu Jaja writes that moves by opposition politicians to thwart the re-election bid of Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu state will meet a brickwall as Coal City electorates are poised to return Mbah to office come 2027.

Those who describe politics as concentric circles of conspiracies understand the dog-eat-dog manoeuvres that define competition for political power. When reports broke out recently that the Chairman of the Governing Council of Enugu State University of Science and Technology, (ESUT), Chief Chinyeaka Ohaa, had resigned, it did not come as a surprise to watchers of Enugu State politics.

From the time the former chairman started hobnobbing with two former state governors and a current incumbent chief executive of a neighbouring state, it was obvious that he was up to something devious. Truth be told, Chief Ohaa was among the very first aspirants who announced their intention to contest for the Enugu  State Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) governorship ticket in 2022.

But, in the process of holding consultations with stakeholders, he was confronted with a variety of reasons why his ambition cannot bear fruit in Enugu State. Virtually all the stakeholders told him that the zoning tradition, which is being observed religiously and faithfully in the state does not align with his aspiration.

For those who may not easily remember, the zoning or power rotation arrangement, which has grown strong tap roots in Enugu State was the culmination of elite consensus to moderate power tussle among political parties and individuals. And, in 1999 when the formula was adopted, the rotation, just as the sun rises in the East, began from Enugu East Senatorial District. That was how Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani became governor and forerunner of the cycle that turned full circle in 2023.

So, one other fact that elders threw at Ohaa in 2022 was the argument that since Nkanu West Local Government had produced a governor in the person of Nnamani, it was against the spirit of brotherhood in Nkanuland to deny other Local Government Areas in the zone the opportunity to throw up a governor to serve Enugu people.

As such, because Enugu South had earlier produced Senator Jim Nwobodo, as governor of old Anambra State that encompassed Enugu, Anambra, Ebonyi, and parts of Abia, it was generally agreed that Nkanu East Local Government Area should recommend a competent and acceptable candidate for the 2023 governorship poll.

Yet, apart from the zoning principle, Ohaa was told that the average ages of those aspiring for governorship of the state are usually below the 60-year threshold. At least, records show that Chief Jim Nwobodo was 32 years old when he governed old Anambra State and Nnamani was also barely 39, when he mounted the saddle. Age may not have sealed his fate, but it was obvious that the entire six Local Government Areas of Enugu East Senatorial District unanimously agreed that Nkanu East should have its shot at the Lion Building.

 I have taken some time to paint this background so that the two power brokers propping Ohaa could think twice and know that they are not only backing a dead horse, but also trying to cause confusion where none exists. Enugu people are not the sort of voters that could be easily purchased by sackloads of dollars.

If nothing else, this incumbent governor and a former governor who have agreed to bankroll Ohaa on the embattled PDP or any other platform, should recall how many aspirants withdrew from the 2022 contest immediately the elders of the state settled for Dr. Peter Mbah, having satisfied all the criteria laid out for the candidate of governor from the zone.

It was widely reported that barely a few hours after Mbah was selected, the well-respected elder statesman and former Anambra State governor, Chief Nwobodo, declared to the entire state that Dr. Mbah, in principle, has been endorsed as the next governor after Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. And so, it came to be.

 If very experienced politicians like the former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, Senator Gilbert Nnaji, and businessman, Captain Evarest Nnaji of the OAS Helicopters, should run away from fighting the choice of the people in 2022, Ohaa’s sponsors should note that they are embarking on a fool’s errand.

It may sound good to the ears that with much money and sloganeering against what they now describe as sacking the tax master, it is possible to attract cheering crowds at campaign rally grounds. But, the bottom line remains that apart from Governor Mbah’s soaring performance records, all voters in Enugu State know the dangers of one-term governorship, which will disrupt the zoning arrangement and also bring back inter-communal bad blood. And, that was exactly what all the communities in the state swore in 1992 that never again will an election cause rifts among our people.

Enugu State may not have the oil money of Rivers State or be as loquacious as Imo State voters, but the people know how to speak in quiet dignity when their voices will register their stand. Well, it has been gathered that the spin doctors are already promising to change the narrative by whipping up sentiments against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and how the party is not welcome in Enugu State.

Surprise. Huge surprise awaits these merchants of political confusion because their shenanigans cannot remove the concrete evidence of the superlative performance of Governor Mbah and the impactful achievements of his administration in its first term. 

Mbah’s administration revived comatose projects and initiated new ones in record time? Although some observers claimed that Ohaa resigned from the Governing Council of ESUT out of protest against the construction of a perimeter fence in the university, it is a well-known fact that Mbah does not condone corruption or administrative overreach in the execution of projects.

It is this insistence on deadlines and clear fidelity to contractual specifications that delivered the timely completion of projects at the State University of Medical and Applied Sciences (SUMAS) Teaching Hospital, in Igbo-ano. The attempt by a contractor to swindle the state over the 260 Smart School initiatives is also common knowledge.

Mbah brought his private sector dexterity and business acumen to the running of Enugu State Government and the results are very evident such that no spin doctor can gain say. So, whoever is coming to Enugu to sponsor a governorship rival against the performing governor will first be ready to confront the people, who are already ecstatic that the state has seen actual development and evidence of money well spent.

The next governorship poll in Enugu State will be a mere coronation for Mbah. It would provide data-driven evidence that Enugu people are sold to the dream which states in sounds and structures that Tomorrow Is Here. Minor taxation is not going to be an issue as those planning to foist a weak opposition tend to weave. Probity and transparency are what combined to gift Enugu State Government the famous increase in internally generated revenue. What is more, projects scattered all over the state speak to every kobo received.

This fact bears repeating: Under Governor Mbah, Enugu State has never had it so good. By May 29, 2027, when Mbah 2.0 unfolds, we will tell the story of how good governance wins hearts more than brickbats. Enugu State is in good hands. Nobody changes a winning team!

-Dr Jaja, writes from Uwani, Enugu State.