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Road to 2023: Peter Mbah will consolidate Ugwuanyi’s achievements –USA Igwesi

The pioneer leader of Enugu State House of Assembly and former member of the House of Representatives, Ikemba U.S.A Igwesi has praised Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for ensuring the emergence of a technocrat, Mr. Peter Mbah, as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) standard bearer in Enugu State. Among others in this interview, Igwesi urged the people of the state to support Governor Ugwuanyi in the good work he is doing and pray  for Mbah, the incoming governor.

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The Enugu gubernatorial primaries are over with Mr. Peter Mbah, a lawyer and an entrepreneur, emerging the standard bearer of PDP, your party. How do you feel?

I feel good and excited, I feel relieved and also that the biblical Daniel has come to judgement. I feel that another messiah has come to rescue Enugu State; if Peter Mbah can replicate what he did and still doing in the private sector with Pinnacle Oil and Gas in Enugu State as governor, then Enugu will be on her way to El-Dorado. Pinnacle Oil and Gas is a leading name and a major player in the downstream sector of oil and gas with a whopping and an expensive revenue base. Pinnacle Oil and Gas plays a leading role in the petroleum product trading, marketing and distribution in Africa. They have continued to innovate and has developed revolutionary concepts and technologies that have optimized operations in the sector. The above feats and achievements were driven by no other person than the man Peter Mbah, a maritime lawyer and seasoned technocrat. So, Mr. Mbah having carved in the wood will also carve better in the ivory.

To be honest with you, his experience in the private sector, vis a-vis some of his political interventions as former Chief of Staff and Commissioner for Finance in Enugu State will no doubt enhance his administration and management of the State. I feel happy because he is going to run an all-inclusive government; his government will be transparent, open and according to him during his acceptance and thank you speech immediately after nomination, will also run a government with moderation.

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Despite the tension that preceded the exercise, it was eventually organized peacefully. What does that say of the administration of Governor Ugwuanyi?

I am not surprised because I know unequivocally the political strength of Gov. Ugwuanyi. He has never lost any political contest confronting him. He is a guru in political administration and a magician in political engineering and management. He takes his time analyzing any political trajectory and is constantly in touch with his people. He is a governor that has his ears on the ground, highly professional in this business; his academic training both in business administration and public relations were his magic wands. All the aspirants and politicians alike were overwhelmed with uncertainty, but the governor was calm and at home that he was going to navigate through the process without any hitch and he did.

This is a man who handed over the state to God on assumption of office and have on different fora told the press and the people of the state that his choice of successor was subject to spiritual determination and revelation. Some of us who know his relationship with God especially in demanding times knew he was going to come out of it in flying colours.

If you are asked to set agenda for the Enugu PDP candidate, what would you suggest?

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The agenda is simple; to consolidate on the achievements of Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, to build on his legacies. He should as a matter of urgency resuscitate and rehabilitate the revenue base of the state by visibly blocking all loopholes, instilling transparency and ensuring that the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) are high up and sustainable. As a successful entrepreneur, we expect him to bring to bear his glowing wealth of experience in the private sector to governance by embarking on the rehabilitation and regeneration of ailing industries in the State like PRODA, EMENITE and a host of them. We expect him to embark on poverty alleviation programmes that will put food on the table of people of Enugu State. We expect him to embark on massive construction and reconstruction of both urban and rural roads, that will at the end create wealth for the people of the state because farm products and produce can easily be evacuated to their relevant markets without much hitch. Mbah with his international relations and contacts will definitely make Enugu State an investment destination. Enugu will be like Dubai, China, Singapore etc. In no distant time, he will unveil his programme of action and everybody including the press will be astonished with what he has in mind for the state. He is a man of few words but action packed. He is not just an ordinary politician who will promise heaven on earth and will not do anything at the end. His social contract with the people of the state will be highly respected and will not be taken for granted.

What is the influence of Ebeano political family in Enugu vis-a-vis the emergence of Mr. Peter Mbah? 

Ebeano political family is a political structure founded on the basis of equity and justice, with equal founders and joiners; it is a mass movement whose ecumenical political powers in the state are second to none; it is a mass-oriented political system that gave birth to almost all the political gladiators in the state’s political space; the story of Ebeano cuts across party affiliations and domiciled in all the political parties with an appeal for good governance; it is a mass-oriented political structure, spreads like wild fire and highly innocuous in terms of management and administration. This is a political structure that is indeed the umbrella of exemplary and progressive minds across the state with membership of about 95 per cent of all the political gladiators in the state with a massive support base of almost all the artisans, market men and women and youths in all the local governments in the state. It is a well-structured political family with Gov. Ugwuanyi on the driving seat as the leader, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani as the energizer and progenitor and entire members as co founders and joiners. Having said all these, it is now crystal clear that the choice of Ebeano political family is indeed the choice of the people of the state, because the political engineering and administration of the state are anchored on the Ebeano political family led by the leader, Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.

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Recently, the State chairman of the APC in Enugu State was quoted in the media to have said that the Ebeano political system cannot be re-enacted or re-introduced in Enugu State under his watch as APC State chairman. How do you respond to his claims?

To start with, the State chairman was a product of Ebeano political family; he was selected among others to play a pivotal role during the period under review. He benefited immensely from the political largesse of the family when he served as DG of the then campaign organization and commissioner for works. So, he fundamentally owes his political growth to the family. Having said this, the state chairman is one person and do not have the needed capacity to vitiate or truncate what the entire population of Enugu State have endorsed. He is talking from a helpless point of view, and cannot in any way actualise his claims. He is my friend and I will like to use this medium to advise politicians no matter your camp and positions to always embrace diction management; we should choose our words properly and avoid utterances that will inflame the polity or embark on personal attacks in a desperate bid to resuscitate or revamp an ailing political enterprise.

The Ebeano political family created, promoted and enhanced almost the political fortunes of all the gladiators in the spaces including the author of that statement. In 1999, when the political family became prominent, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani as governor empowered almost all the politicians in the political space and has been adjudged as the famous and foremost political personality of our time . Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani concentrated on human capital development, his promotion then did not have any form of discrimination as all strata of human beings irrespective of class were rehabilitated to the extent that most of them became Senators, House of representatives members, members of State Houses of Assembly and even governors. The political structure that superintended or supervised over such a productive political era cannot be wished away or said to have dark days. In 1999, the government of Enugu State led by the Ebeano political family constructed the following roads, and I can vividly attest to this because I led the Enugu State House of assembly during the period under review. Roads like Opi Nsukka road which has now received a face lift by Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Amechi Obeagu road, Nza new heaven road, dualization of Rangers Avenue, Ebeano Housing estate, Golf estate, Enugu State building, Abuja, New judicial headquarters, Enugu, Nigerian Law School, Agbani, ESUT permanent site, Nkwerre, Iyi water scheme, Ozaka Agbani Amaguze Road, etc. An era that is as endowed with such marvelous achievements cannot be said to be an era of dark days. All these are past tense, we are now focusing on a new dawn of an immaculate gentle man, Peter Mbah and I will wish him well on his avowed determination to take Enugu State higher than he met it.

What is his relationship with other aspirants who contested with him, including Sen. Ike Ekweremadu who was said to have aspired against the zoning arrangements?

While the horse-trading and political intrigues were high up during the period under review, Mbah by his training and background was always in touch with his co-aspirants having understood that it is a game that can swing to anybody. While some of the supporters of the aspirants were antagonizing him and calling him all sorts of names, he held his peace and refused to sponsor such attacks on anybody. That was why it was easy for him to immediately reach out to almost all of them for a meeting immediately after the party storm was over and was in his favour. His humble and unassuming nature was the major reason why most of the aspirants called him at the eve of the primary election and indicated their interest to step down for him and that was made manifest during the party primary. And in no distant time, to further buttress his sense of humility and brotherliness, he will soon embark on personal and thank you visit to all the aspirants with the feeling that nobody lost the primary election and that all of them are victors. He reiterated on the day of the primary, that he is going to run an all inclusive government with moderation as a guide. Sen. Ike Ekweremadu has been his personal friend and ally; even while the struggle for the Lion building was going on, Mbah was in constant touch with the Distinguished Senator. That was why Ekweremadu did not waste time congratulating Mr. Mbah and wished him well. Mr. Mbah I know is not always desperate in any contest; he always bows to the decision of God with the belief that all manner of powers come from God.

What makes you feel that PDP will win the 2023 election in Enugu State? 

I have been confronted with this question on different fora and I have not hesitated to say that Enugu is a PDP State; PDP as a political party is running in the blood and veins of any electorate in the state. Since the inception of democracy, Enugu has been a PDP State and the choice of an unassuming character like Mr Mbah to come and journey them to el-dorado; remember with the avowed achievements of his predecessor, Gov. Ugwuanyi, you definitely cannot change a winning team, instead you encourage the team. These are facts on the ground because there is no polling booth in the social media.

What advice do you give to the people of Enugu ahead of the next general election?

My advice to Ndi Enugu is to shine their eyes and follow the person who has all it takes to navigate leadership for them. To embrace a man who has conquered the private sector with his ingenuity and managerial acumen for him to be able to replicate same in the governance of the state. Enugu people should support a man with great candour, reverence, humility that is accessible, and most importantly, peace loving and God fearing. Enugu has enjoyed peace for the past seven years of Gov. Ugwuanyi ‘s administration and we need a man like Peter Mbah on board for him to continue to lubricate the peace process. Mr. Mbah will definitely revolutionize all sectors of the state economy and fight poverty to standstill by creating wealth through massive poverty alleviation programmes.

Peter Mbah is an international maritime Lawyer who is the arrow head behind the brand and a business concern called PINNACLE OIL AND GAS. Under his watch, pinnacle oil and gas has conquered and made strides in the downstream sector with integrated bouquet of services which includes but not limited to petroleum product importation, offshore intake, petroleum product storage facilities, petroleum product haulage services, service stations and on demand diesel delivery among others.