OPINION: Chris Ubah for Senate? A Sad Moment in Time for Bad Students of History, By Tobenna Obiano

Our own Chinua Achebe of the blessed memory once said and I quote, “he who does not know where rain started beating him, surely wouldn’t know where or when it dries up on him”. This would reflect in this article.

If anyone told me that I would have the time to be writing an article of this nature, at this point in Anambra political history, I would’ve easily waved it down, but here it is happening. I’ve to write, not necessarily because I can, but because for posterity sake, I needed to, as a matter of urgency get my voice heard. I wouldn’t stay on the fence. I needed to speak truth to justice, and as well, educate those who claim, not knowing.

Those who are the PR agents of the candidacy of Eselu-Uga, Chief. Chris Uba are really doing great job. If the man is paying them, they’re matching the pay with a worthwhile effort. I’m not writing to ridicule or beat down their pay, my purpose is wholly channeled towards bringing truth to light. There’s no way, never again, would we return to our dark ages and to Egypt. Pharaoh has let our people go!

I’ve watched with utmost dismay, shock and disbelief how beautifully they’ve worked assiduously hard to package or rebrand Chief. Uba. I’ve struggled to understand what have prompted his promoters to choose to promote, even without qualms of conscience or issued consideration, what definitely, is a bad market. I’m not gonna mind my business, because I can’t seat on the fence, and watch any part of Anambra reduced to a redefinition of thuggery or gangsterism. Never!

Ofcourse, some of his major promoters are young people, those who cannot distinguish from their left or right. Some of these young people were definitely too young, to understand the Eselu Uga man and what played out in the events of the past. Those young people have chosen also not to ask basic questions. Those young people are they, who would blame Buhari for our every misfortune, yet continue to sale the candidacy of someone who is synonymous with many negativities to the electorate. How did we fall this low?

Eselu-Uga! The chieftaincy title, without intent of sounding immodest, but perhaps standing on the path of truth, the name is synonymous with negative vibe. Eselu-Uga, to many Anambrarians and indeed Nigerians was the arrow-head and the grandmaster of the Anambra of the dark ages.  Eselu-Uga has even been captured on live camera where he brags about how he has singlehandedly handpicked and made Governors right from his living room. Eselu-Uga hasn’t ever represented anything good.

Till this day, many insist that former Governor, Chinwoke Mbadinuju remains the worst Governor in Anambra’s political history. Mr. Mbadinuju was caught in the middle of servicing and romanticizing his numerous hangers-on, from political godfathers to those alleged to be his girlfriends. Mbadinuju, the American returnee Associate Professor couldn’t do a thing, as he owed salaries, schools went on strike and Anambra became a den of criminals, while the goodfathers fed fat from the state’s coffers.

Then came an election, in which Mbadinuju lost woefully. In that particular election, the godfathers had a grand plan, where the actual winner of the election, one young promising, fine and refined, yet quintessential entrepreneur, Mr. Peter Obi was rigged out, and their political puppet, Dr. Chris Ngige Onwa was declared winner. The plan was simple, to continue suckling and milking the state just like the days of Mbadinuju.

At the build-up to Chris Ngige Nwabueze’s eventual ascension to the throne as Governor, he was taken to the once powerful Okija shrine, where he was made to swear an oath of allegiance and loyalty to the godfathers. The aim was to have him controlled at will. In fact, this was later to be acted as a movie, trust our Nollywood stars.

Ngige as Governor was doing their bidding. In perfect imitation of his predecessor, former Governor Mbadinuju, Ngige was paying heavily to his godfathers. However, and unlike Mbadinuju, Mr. Ngige understood that if he continued, he would end up, worse than Mbadinuju. This is one thing no sane one would ever wish for.

Ngige needed to breakout from the shackles of his godfathers, but there were many hurdles to pass, including the trouble that may befall anyone who fails to honor the Okija shrine agreement. There was this worry that the deity would come after the person and ruthlessly deal with the person, before eventually killing the person. However, certain risks are worth taking.

Ngige was a smart man. He understood that Anambra State has bled enough, and that Anambrarians are often very appreciative for any good done. Ngige chose the path of honor, to fallout with his godfathers, instead of ending up, worse than Mbadinuju. He struggled to settle some backlog of salaries, the much he could. He chose to go road wire, constructing roads at all corners. He was doing so well in road construction that he was nicknamed the road master. However, while doing those, it became a herculean task to meet up with servicing of his godfathers, therefore, trouble loomed.

The godfathers came for his head. Ngige was harassed, intimidated, humiliated and ridiculed. All under the guise of playing politics. His security was withdrawn, even as a sitting Governor. He had to set out for the services of a private security firm that guarded him. In a quest to make a nonsense of his administration, criminals overtook Awka, the Anambra State capital and extended their crimes to Onitsha, the state’s industrial city hup and commercial nerve center.

The godfathers were determined to deal ruthlessly with Governor Ngige. The Deputy Governors office, the Anambra State House of Assembly complex, the Anambra Broadcasting Service and the Onitsha Governors Lodge were all burnt down by criminals who worked under the alleged directions of none other, but Eselu-Uga, Chris Uba.

At that point, it was so bad, that according to Ngige who recounted the ordeal before a mammoth crowd, including those from the international community right  during the state burial of the Nigerian Literary icon, Chinua Achebe, Ngige states that even as the masterminds were enemies of good governance, they had the contacts and links that while the evil was been perpetuated by their criminals, even policemen hailed and was waving them nearly in a manner to applaud whatsoever they were doing.

Eselu-Uga, as Chris Ngige’s political godfather, with things falling apart was alleged to be the brain behind the eventual kidnap of a sitting Governor, Chris Ngige where he was eventually stolen, and against his wish, kept at a secludeded part at the toilet facility of choice hotel, Awka. This is no myth, no figments, no imaginations, no funny tales, and definitely no jokes. These all actually happened and all fingers has continued to point repeatedly towards one direction, to Eselu-Uga, Chief Chris Uba as the actual mastermind.

Ngige was eventually sacked by a court, as not the rightful winner of the election, and Peter Obi was eventually sworn in. Many had insisted that Obi won his way through the courts and was eventually sworn in as Governor, because Ngige and his godfathers had fallen apart. This no doubt, is possible. Obi came and returned sanity, aggressively developed Anambra to the envy of many, and today, he left Anambra State with shoulders-high as not only the light of the nation, but the pride of Igboland.

Eselu, the youngest of the Uba brothers is also the most noisy of them all, known for his notoriety. He’s actually the field marshal. The Uba’s have it all - the first son, Ugochukwu Uba who’s a university Professor later had his way into the Senate, then Andy Uba who’s the second son, and had remained a politician for the greater part of his life, including having served in the kitchen cabinet of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and also, stole his was into the senate where he’s still serving. Then Chris Uba who has alleged that his two brothers has served their times as Senators, and must now give way for him to serve his turn too, more like a family agreement.

There’re many reasons why Chinua Achebe is loved at home and celebrated globally. It’s on record that he never won the Noble Laureate for literature, even though many insist that he richly deserved it. It’s also true that he’s great in storytelling, and that his novels made a great buy and an easy sale, particularly having had his Things Fall Apart being translated into twenty languages and sold over fifty million copies globally. The love Achebe enjoyed was his honesty at all times, and intact integrity.

At some point, Achebe made history as the first Nigerian to have rejected, a well merited National honors and awards from two different Presidents, because according to him, “I cannot accept National honors from a Government who’s hands are soiled with the political ruthlessness that has besieged my home state of Anambra and many parts of Nigeria”. Achebe was writing, to reject his nomination for the award from the Obasanjo presidency and was making points of time when a sitting Governor was kidnapped and Anambra turned to a state of chaos by the godfathers.

Chinua Achebe would be rolling over in his grave with sadness. Achebe would for the second time, be broken in the heart that even at this age and time, young Nigerians who ought to know better, and understand that their future is consistently, continually and unapologetically being messed up by a failed political leadership, and recalling the Anambra of dark ages where Eselu-Uga and his co-travelers besieged Anambra with evil, Achebe would be weeping in his grave that Anambrarians are promoting and supporting same Eselu man.

The Uba family name in general of Uga doesn’t sale for good. The name Eselu-Uga in particular is worse of, it does represent negativity, divisionism, chaos and maybe, evil also. It’s sad, unbelievable and most unfortunate that Anambra which ought to be the light of the nation and the glory of Igboland would at this age and time in progressiveness of this nation and our world, still have a character such as Eselu-Uga contesting a to win an election.

What ought to have become of Eselu-Uga is that he’s supposed to be apologizing near-endlessly to Nigerians, Anambrarians and the Igbo nation for the years he brought bad name, sadness and agony to us all, and not to be cycling Anambra State asking for votes or supports. What’s even sad is his motivating factor, and his supporting crowd.

In sane havens, Eselu-Uga would remain a bad example of what anyone shouldn’t be, not in governance, not in real life, except for, and maybe only, if need arises, gangsterism and hooliganism. This man has no business in leadership, but unless of we have settled not for less, but for the worst.

And quote me clearly, my friend who’s his brother, Andy Uba isn’t anyway better. Infact, he’s another bad example of leadership. He’s performed so poorly in leadership, and should be shown the way out. And there’s no need discussing the candidate of APGA, Nicholas Ukachukwu, at least and until he clears and cleans his name with the court. For now, APGA isn’t in the race.

I support a man who has done so well for himself, his community, his people and has a proven track record, not of gangsterism, not of hooliganism, not of misleadership, not of godfatherism, not of thuggery or all those, but a man determined to change the narratives for his people and prove that greatness is attainable and possible. This is why I proudly support none other but, Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah!

The promoters and PR strategists of Eselu-Uga have done so well, but then, you can’t force bad market down the throat of an unwilling people. Eselu-Uga is synonymous with wrongdoing. And please, spare us the claim of, what if he has repented? Or, you remember Saul later became Paul. Those are Bible versions, even so, here in real life, Chris Uba has a lot of cleansing and cleaning up to do. The process for his purification of the many years of bad name doesn’t just start from jumping into the ring to contest for elective positions, it even begs for far more beyond that.

I respect people’s opinion and choice to candidacy, at least we ought to be democratic and tolerant, but please, not the Chris Uba man, this is one of those times when the call for “tufiakwa” comes calling and begging. And people are even supporting him, tufiakwa is right, timely and justified.

Many young Anambrarians who have proven to be bad students of history and are proudly supporting the candidacy of Chris Uba must return to their parents and ask basic questions. They must understand quite clearly what they’re doing and indulging in. This is a candid advise.

My love for Peter Obi or support for Atiku and the PDP over Buhari and his APC’s failed Government would never permit me to condescend so low, as to supporting evil, when I see one. Eselu is bad market, there’re no two ways about this.

Eselu-Uga has no business in leadership, except and maybe only for bad jobs in politics.

Indeed, our history is gone, because like Achebe rightly noted, many who have had rain dried up on them was solely because they never even took notice when it began falling on or beating them.

Eselu-Uga, Ochiagha as Senator? God forbid, please!