Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu’s Political Misadventures

Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, founding Chairman/CEO, SNECOU Group Limited, is undoubtedly a successful businessman and industrialist by all standards. But the same cannot be said of his foray into politics.

With his record in politics, it can confidently be said that business is the only game he understands since he left the university in 1985.

But like the popular witty saying among the Igbos; “It is the head that disturbs the wasp that the wasp stings,” literally meaning that a stubborn child who refuses to listen or cooperate will face negative repercussions.

This proverb says a lot about the political (mis)adventures of Ukachukwu, who has experienced more thorns than roses since he ventured into the murky waters of Nigeria’s politics.

His foray into politics can aptly be described as a misadventure, as his ambition of becoming the number one citizen of his state has so far amounted to a wild goose chase. For some inexplicable reasons, the businessman has suffered a series of losses, which can be too much for one man, since he lost the bid to return to the House of Representatives in 2003.

Despite his losses, Ukachukwu remain focused, eager to position himself as the Messiah who can provide his people the much-desired dividends of democracy. He doesn’t see any boulder on his way, especially now that he is reportedly nursing the ambition of being the number one citizen of his state.

Society Watch gathered that the philanthropist would be gunning for the exalted position in the 2025 governorship election in Anambra State on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Already, he has received the blessings of prominent people and political leaders in the state.

It will be recalled that Ukachukwu, until now, had nursed the ambition of becoming a member of the upper chamber of the National Assembly. But the more the Anambra State-born industrialist tried, the more this dream eluded him since he left the House of Representatives many years ago.

Speculations are rife that the billionaire businessman may have allowed his ambition to becloud his sense of judgement as he continues to throw money around like a drunken sailor just to realise his age-long ambition.

Ukachukwu has been affiliated with multiple political parties in his quest for political leadership in the past. He was a member of the People Democratic Party (PDP) where he initially built his political base, but after an unsuccessful bid for the PDP governorship ticket in 2006, he left to join the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA), emerging as the party’s candidate, but was defeated by Peter Obi, who at the time ran on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). Ukachukwu, again contested on the platform of the Hope Democratic Party (HDP), but was again defeated by Obi, who won a second term.

As a typical Nigerian politician, he returned to the PDP in 2013, but lost the party’s ticket to Oseloka Obaze, who later lost to Willie Obiano of APGA in the election. 

Probably overwhelmed with over-ambition, he left the PDP for the second time in 2018 to join APGA, where he contested and won the Anambra South senatorial primary election for 2019.

However, his victory was challenged in court by Dr. Anselm Enyimba, who alleged electoral fraud and irregularities. Unfortunately for him, the Federal High Court in Abuja nullified his candidacy, ordering INEC to recognise Enyimba as the rightful candidate. Enyimba later lost the general election to Ifeanyi Ubah (YPP).

With his new gubernatorial aspiration, many wonder if this time would be his lucky charm.