CAPTAIN of industry and owner of Capital Oil and Gas Limited, Dr. Patrick Iheanyichukwu Ubah, has raised the ante with his intention to contest the November governorship election on the platform of the Labour Party (LP) in Anambra State.
But before pitching his tent with Labour, over 10 political groups, including the Peoples Democratic Party and All Nigeria Peoples Party in the state, reportedly tried to woo him to their side.
Even as he acknowledges that the battle for the Government House, Awka, is among four political parties — LP, PDP, APGA and ACN (APC) — he is emphatic that victory is certain for the LP partly due to the following reason(s): “The APGA is in crisis. PDP is in crisis. ACN or APC is in a trance. So, what remains is Labour (Party).”
He also believes that he will “outshine other candidates aspiring to use the same platform to achieve their governorship ambitions during the party primary.”
Ubah made these declarations recently while addressing a huge crowd of supporters at the party office in Nnewi North local council of the state after he had formerly registered for the LP at his Otolo Ward I of the council.
He said his ambition would be better served in a party with one spirit, and which is people-oriented and associates with the yearnings of the masses.
Ubah has entered the race in the run-up to the governorship poll due to his worry about the “slow pace of development and the poverty level in Anambra State.”
Hence, he has taken a leave off business for politics, as, according to him, “to turn things around in the state,” the same way he has done in the oil and gas sector, where his company has remained a major player since 2007.
His entrance into the murky waters of Anambra politics has however been lauded by many indigenes of the state, especially professional groups and traders, who always throng any of the places he goes to, as a way of supporting his political ambition.
In line with this enthusiastic support, the Golden Tulip Hotel, Festac Town, Lagos, came under intense human and vehicular movements recently when Anambra indigenes involved in 58 different trade groups across Lagos State swarmed the facility for a night out with the governorship hopeful.
Through the aid of a projector, Ubah used the avenue to showcase some of his numerous groundbreaking achievements in the oil and gas industry, as well as his philanthropic gestures across the globe.
Addressing the forum, the governorship aspirant said: “I want to let you know that it is time to give back to my people in appreciation of what God has done for me. I am going into Government House to work for the socio-economic development of Anambra State.
“It is my willingness to sacrifice all that I have, to liberate Anambra from the shackles of poverty and deprivation that has turned me against some group of people in the State, and I will not cease to go into politics to add value to the lives of the people and to make Anambra State the glory of the nation.”
On plans to industrialise the state, which is noted for the enterprise of the people, Ubah said: “I am not only going to attract foreign investors from India, China and Turkey to Anambra, I will build industries and create avenues for people from different parts of the world to come and buy our locally manufactured goods.
“I will create a two-parallel government that will cater for both administration and business. For, while the business side will generate above N4 billion monthly, the administrative side will solely see to the day-to-day running of the affairs of the state.”
Ubah also informed that special attention would be paid to security, youth development, healthcare, education and agriculture, water, tourism and sports.
He pledged to make Anambra State another food basket of the nation by partnering with countries such as Israel to embark on mechanised farming and making the people, especially the youths, to go back to farming.
“We shall partner with Israel and others to transform agriculture and make the state a food basket,” he said.
“We shall replicate what the South Africans are doing in Kwara State, because we have a fertile riverbank along the River Niger and with this, we will make farming enticing for the youths to go into.”
The Lagos event was recreated later in Ogbunike, the hometown of the late former Senate President, Dr. Chuba Okadigbo, where Ubah was treated to an elaborate reception.
Different groups of people, including traders’ associations and commercial motorcyclists, accompanied his motorcade to the Committee of Fathers’ Club headquarters, chanting his traditional title, Ebubechukwu Uzo Nnewi.
Addressing the crowd, Ubah said: “If elected governor, I will not only put an end to kidnapping and armed robbery, I will also pay civil servants the expected minimum wage, develop housing estates for people to move from their shack-shelters to permanent houses aside from beautifying the cities and villages as part of initiative to clean up the messes that abound everywhere in the state.”
With his growing profile, Ubah, who has been described as “the hurricane” by some of his spectators because of his immediate impact in the political scene of Anambra, “has become an issue in the state,” said a respondent.
Although some of his kinsmen would not want him to participate in the election, many interest groups, including the youths, market women, prominent politicians, and even traditional rulers are clamouring for him to involve yourself in the state politics for the desired change.
Giving reason for supporting Ubah, an indigene of the state, Ugochukwu Amadi, said: “This is the greatest philanthropist we have ever seen; he has surpassed others. And if given the chance to rule Anambra as governor, our problems will be over because he will do more than he had done while in private business.”
Also commenting on Ubah’s ambition, Chief Agunwa Anaekwe, the Third Republic Speaker of the House of Representatives, said: “The business mogul has the exposure and the business clout to become the governor of the state,” adding that having invested heavily in Lagos State and other parts of Nigeria, the time had come for him to replicate the same in his home state.
While pushing that the criterion for anybody aspiring to lead any state should be based on track record, Anaekwe said that the only way to put to an end to the present imbroglio in Anambra politics would be “to identify with one who has a track record of performance in the community, state and country in general.”
Multi-millionaire businessman and philanthropist, Chief Arthur Eze, said his decision to give his blessings to Ubah was because he saw him as the most reliable person to govern the state after Governor Peter Obi of the APGA.
Eze said he was convinced about Ubah’s genuine intentions for Anambra people and therefore, there was the need to give him the necessary support.
He observed that Ubah had consistently used his personal resources to empower many people, including the less-privileged across Anambra, adding that such was the kind of person the state needs to direct its affair.
“Whoever I say will be governor of this state will be the governor, because most of these people you see are not interested in the welfare of the people,” Eze said.
Ubah reinforced this confidence recently at a meeting in Abuja. “I want it to be on record that I made this official declaration to contest during this meeting with Ikoro, an umbrella association for all the practicing Igbo journalists in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT),” he said.
“I want to make it clear that I am not seeking to become the governor of Anambra State because of selfish interest, but to build industries, provide employment for our discouraged youths that are joining kidnapping in droves out of hopelessness.
“I will network with security operatives to reduce crime to zero level in the state. I want to provide employment by building industries. I have plans of building at least 50 factories across all the local government areas. Education and healthcare are also among the things I would focus on.”
He said that if elected governor, he would triple the state’s revenue base without tasking the people, “but through avenues many governments have either ignored or are ignorant of.”
In order to achieve his ambition, Ubah said his camp had begun a sensitisation campaign, but appealed to the media, “to urge the government of Anambra State to leave me alone.”
He added: “I’m very sure that if there is a free and fair election in Anambra State, I will have a landslide victory with at least 70 per cent of the votes.
“I am only nursing an ambition to govern Anambra State and that does not mean an automatic ticket to be declared governor of the state.”
Responding to those allegedly casting aspersions on him, he said: “I am ready to render my service. Those behind all the media war and online assassination of my character, image and person have taken the joke too far.
“But I am happy that our people are loving me the more and giving me the hope that I will win the election no mater the evil plans against me.”
On his recent harassment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ubah said: “It is all about Anambra State politics. My detractors are afraid of my acceptance by my people and have since resorted to doing anything humanly possible to stop me. I know their game plans and will reveal them in due course.
“However, I will only advise their agents to borrow a leaf from the words of God, which says, ‘Touch not my anointed and do my prophet to harm.’ I will leave my able God to expose them in due time.”
On the Anambra State government, Ubah noted that, “some of the claims by the present administration of developing all the sectors of the state in the last seven years are only on the pages of the newspapers, radio and television, as there are nothing really on ground to attest to the claims.”
“I am in the governorship race because the present Anambra State government is not the type of government we want in the state,” he said. “We want a government that will develop the state in the real sense of the word and not a government of deceit.
“I am offering myself to serve the state, to bring about real development and positive changes. There is no proper accountability in the use of state funds and it will shock you to know that there has been no state audited account for the local governments from 2011 to date.”
He promised to conduct local government election within 90 days of assuming office, if elected governor next year.
On Anambra State’s volatile politics, Ubah said: “I strongly believe that life is about styles and everyone has his or hers. As a businessman, I have played the big time politics anybody can stand, which includes home politics, business and boardroom. And being in the oil and gas sector, I have what it takes to play the politics.
“I believe in adding value and creating dynamics in any capacity I find myself, which is what we are doing and will continue to do through the Ifeanyi Ubah Project 2014.
“I have been mobilising people for grassroots support and with the encouragement I am getting so far, we are on the winning side.”
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