BY UCHE ANEKE
I begin this write -up with the famous quotation from late Dr. Martins Luther King Jr. which states that “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moment of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy”.As the permutations for the 2027 Governorship race in Enugu State gather momentum, with men and women of varied ambitions jostling across party lines, I have taken a firm and deliberate decision to pitch my tent with Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah in his aspiration for a second term of four years as the Governor of Enugu State. Let me state from the outset that this decision was not arrived at lightly, nor is it the product of ethnic sentimentality, partisan loyalty, or kind of political bandwagon that has become all too familiar in our clime. It is also not anchored on the fact that I am a card carrying member of the All progressive People’s Congress (APC). It is rooted more in the observable, verifiable, and undeniable evidence that Governor Peter Mba possesses the vision, the competence, and the sheer will power to pilot Enugu state to its promised political and economic destination in the next four years.During the frenetic pre-election campaigns of 2023, when names were flying about and the political godfathers were holding court in dimly lit parlors across the South- East, I watched the Enugu governorship contest with the detached curiosity of a man who had already made up his mind- or so I thought.Then came that fateful gathering, shortly before the PDP gubernatorial primary at the Ukehe country home of His Excellency, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, former Governor of Enugu State. Gov. Mbah had the opportunity to introduce himself as an aspirant for the gubernatorial contest. In a soft measured tones that belied the steel of his conviction, Mbah laid out his vision for Enugu State with clarity and precision that silenced the atmosphere. His presentation of his campaign manifesto was not the hollow recitation of promises we have grown accustomed to from politicians who promise heaven on a campaign trail and deliver purgatory in office. It was a master class in strategic thinking-detailed, data- driven, and delivered with the quiet confidence of a man who had done his homework. I remember one particular line, spoken with an almost casual grace that made it all the more powerful. He looked around and said “if you are counting those who are contesting for governorship, please count me”. It was simple, it was understated. It was devastating in its quiet audacity.Some of the Nsukka Political elites present that day dismissed him. They exchanged knowing glances, the kind seasoned politicians reserve for men they consider lightweights. But as the ancient proverb wisely counsels,” do not judge the depth of a river by the calmness of its surface.” Political time –that great and impartial arbiter- has since vindicated Peter Mbah in ways that even his most ardent supporters could not have predicted. For me, that brief but spectacular speech planted a seed. It left in my consciousness an indelible impression of a man who was strategically focused, intellectually grounded, and most importantly –intentional about the things he set out to do.The records speaks. The former American President Abraham Lincoln once observed that “you can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” Governor Mbah’s political record since he assumed office in May, 2023 has made fooling unnecessary. The fact speaks loudly, clearly and unarguably.In less than 2 years, Peter Mbah has done what many of his predecessors could not accomplish in eight years. He has fundamentally altered the economic DNA of Enugu State. He is not a man given to the emotional grandstanding or political bias that has historically marred governance in the South –East. He takes his time – sometimes to the impatience of onlookers in his choice of political appointees and in the articulation of government policies. But this deliberateness, this refusal to be stampeded into hasty decisions by the noise of political commentators and armchair critics, has turned out to be one of his greatest strengths. As the old saying goes” the man who moves a mountain begins by carrying stones while others were making speeches about mountains. The driving force behind these achievements is neither mysterious nor accidental. Through boId, courageous and sometimes politically risky initiatives, Governor Mbah has systematically revived moribund industries that had become, in the popular parlance of our people, nothing more than “glorified relics” of a once promising industrial past. The Presidential hotel, once a proud five-star establishment that had fallen into a state of decay so advanced that it had become an embarrassment to the state has been turned around. It is not merely open; it is thriving, receiving guests, and contributing to the state’s hospitality economy. The Niger Gas Company, Emene , its rusting infrastructure a monument to government neglect has been revived and is operational once more. The Enugu Air Transportation- once a pipe dream spoken about in hushed, hopeful tones is alive and running, connecting the Coal City to the rest of NigeriaThe Enugu international Conference Center has been completed, functional and already playing host to major national events. The 2025 Nigerian Guild of Editors Conference and the prestigious Nigeria Bar Association Conference were both held within its walls, placing Enugu firmly on the map as a destination for serious national discourse. Similarly, the Sun Flower Mills and the United Farm Products Limited are operational, generating substantial revenue for the state’s coffers. And in no distance time, the Ohebe Dim Alumunium Industry will commence operations, adding yet another pillar to the state’s rapidly expanding industrial base.These are not campaign promises. These are accomplished facts. And as the late political Philosopher Chinua Achebe once wrote in a different but relevant context, “when the moon is shining, the cripple becomes hungry for a walk.” The moon is shining in Enugu State, and the people are walking towards progress, towards prosperity, towards a future they can see and touch.Investing in Tomorrow’s Generation is perhaps the most far-sighted of Governor Mbah’s massive investment initiatives in education. It is said that “a society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit.” Mbah is planting trees.Budgetary analysis reveals that the governor has consistently devoted over thirty two percent of the state’s budget in recent fiscal cycles to the education sector- a figure that dwarfs the allocations of most states in the federation and exceeds the UNESCO benchmark. This is not tokenism; this is strategic nation building.The flagship of this educational revolution is the Smart School Initiative which is a programme designed to build a generation of technologically sophisticated, globally competitive children who will carry the torch of Enugu’s transformation long after the current administration has left office. It is the kind of investment that does not make headlines today but will reshape destinies for decades to come.On the environmental front, Enugu State’s laurels speak for themselves. Under Governor Mbah’s watch, Enugu was awarded the cleanest state in Nigeria under the Renewed Hope Initiative for the Green Nigeria Challenge, instituted by the first lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu. This is not a minor accolade. It speaks to a governor who understands that development is not merely about the quality of the air citizens breathe and the dignity of the environment in which they live.Given the visionary and transformative leadership Governor Mbah has exhibited in less than two years, it would seem almost perverse, an exercise in wilful political self-harm to engage in any serious debate about whether he deserves the opportunity to continue for another four years.The great political thinker Niccollo Machiavelli, in his celebrated treatise The Prince, observed that “the first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him”. Look around Governor Mbah. Look at the industries he has revived. Look at the children he is educating. Look at the investors flocking to the state. And then ask yourself: does this man deserve a second term? The answer, for any honest observer is self-evident.His achievements record is not merely inspiring, it is a rebuke to every cynic who has ever declared that good governance is impossible in Nigeria. The reward system, if it means anything at all, must encourage a leader of this caliber to complete the giant strides he has begun.As for me and my household, our position is clear. We are committed wholly, unreservedly, and without equivocation to the transformative agenda of Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah. We will endorse him. We will campaign for him. And when the time comes, we will vote for him. Ours is a loyalty reminiscent of Ruth’s timeless pledge to her mother-in-law, Naomi, in that stirring passage of Scripture, “Entreat me not to leave thee or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest; I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.”Governor Mbah has shown us the destination. He has mapped the route. He has begun the journey and covered remarkable ground. It would be the height of political folly to change drivers midway through a journey that is going this well. Enugu State, the destination is ahead. Let us keep moving.
Uche Aneke is a political commentator and Public Affairs Analyst from Enugu State.Ucheaneke5 gmail.com08033481569
