As a follow up to the breaking news exclusively reported by THE CITIZEN in the wake of endorsement of Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, a Federal House of Representatives member, representing Nsukka/Udenu Federal consistency by the Enugu State Governor, Sullivan Chime to succeed him in 2015, five reasons that prompted the decision have emerged.
1. Acceptability
The general principle for any elective position is that the candidate must be sellable. You cannot win a seriously contested position suchas the Governor in the new dispensation of voter awareness with someone that needs serious effort to convince the electorates to support. Therefore, to win the heart of voters, your candidate must be widely accepted. It is a cardinal rule. It makes elections of such a walk over. On this note, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, known as “Gburugburu” is ver popular and wields enormous goodwill in the state and beyond.
2. Capacity to deliver
It is not enough to be widely known. You must also be known to have the capacity to deliver the dividends of democracy in line with the yearnings of your people and within the limits of your resources.
Ugwuanyi has through his sterling performance at the Federal House of Representatives demonstrated that he would do more if given higher responsibilities. In the last few years, he has acquitted himself creditably as Chairman, House Committee on Maritime.
3. Broad minded
The office of the governor is not a sectional seat. It’s the governor of a state, therefore, its occupant must be one that is neither parochial nor narrow-minded but one that has listening skills. One who takes wellbeing of every citizen, especially of his state as his responsibility. Ugwuanyi is not lacking in this criterion.
4. Assertiveness
As the leader in the state, it demands that you should be assertive. That is one sure way you can deliver on those things that you are convinced with every sense of responsibility that they are for the good of the greater proportion of the people. You should have the ability to know when to act and ensure that your assignments are implemented to the letter. Ugwuanyi is in the league.
5. Humility
A public servant of that status should be humble. This is a condition that is not negotiable. It is only through the grace of humility that a leader knows when and how to show empathy. Ugwuanyi doesn’t discriminate between the rich and poor and is always ready to assist people. He easily mixes up with people. His personal relationship is unbeatable.
Some of the aspirants lack this trait, as the simple privilege of facilitating the emergence of local government chairmen (as core stakeholders) in their locations has turned them into demi-gods. They operate the local governments as their automated teller machines (ATM); reason why they should not be trusted with the state’s treasury. Ugwuanyi never showed interest in who emerged the chairman of his Udenu LG, or peeping into the affairs of the local government.
The reasons you gave as to why Governor Sullivan Chime chose Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi are interesting. These are all verifiable traits of the consensus candidate. However, your last paragraph about thr rejection of some who were terrors in their LGAs because of their newfound influence strikes a deep chord in my heart. In my local council, Igbo Etiti, for instance, this has been our sad experience. The Speaker, Rt Hon Eugene Odo, on assumption of that position pocketed the local government in all aspects.
If this heist had ended with treasury looting, once again sad as it is, it would have been somehow more tolerable. However, having become power drunk, he faced real and imaginary opponents. Determined to cut everyone to bellow his small political size, Ohodo, my community lost a lot of prime timber in the jungle he turned Igbo Etiti as he crudely applied his newfound power.
This often happens when mediocres found themselves in power. Inferiority complex breeds in them an insecure personality that can only be sure when the rest are cut down. Odo had a mortal fear of Barrister Kingsley Asogwa, the erstwhile Leader of Igbo Etiti Legislative Council. His ill advised removal, which gave Odo respite from the intimidation his rising profile engendered within his camp, eventually went on to cost the council millions in compensation to Asogwa.
He was to be mortified by fear when Prof Simon Ortuanya was appointment into the cabinet by Governor Sullivan Chime to man the education ministry. Ortuanya was from Ohodo. His erudition, charismatic personality once again induced an aspen dance on the Speaker who could only survive when no other quality person was around. He thus maliciously blackmailed the Governor to drop him. He sponsored his fringe supporters on a celebration spree on hearing the news.
In all, he believed he was paving his way to the governorship of the state. However, little did he know he was embarking on a crude show of shame that showed the entire political class in the state a frightening specter that could be their lot if such a fellow is entrusted with such a pristine responsibility as the governorship of a state.
People like Professor Ortuanya and Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi brought decency and finesse to political campaigns. They eschued acrimony and all the evil that thrived in other camps. As against those who were elevated through political calculations that served the expediency of the time irrespective of their glaring incompetencies and limited abilities, Ortuanya had capacity and urbane personality against the red eyed desperados that mistook accident of history for choice of free men that now has the opportunity to express such.
The Governor has spoken well. There is only one slot and as such there can be only one candidate. Professor Ortuanya is in the mould of Ugwuanyi. However, history became his albatross as Igbo Etiti has had a governorship and deputy governorship slots in the past among other plum positions. However, we know those who were never to have been chosen because they were never good enough. At least this much is evident in the way they manage the positions they hold.
AMAECHI UGWELE
Ugwuanyi ifeanyi deserves every accolade,such a humble personality. The first time i agree with Sullivan decision.
Hon Ugwuanyi is a product of St Teresa’s College Nsukka whose motto is bonum eligere meaning choosing the best. Thus, we ‘re not surprised with the analysis on our anointed Governor. We thank God that our prayer has been answered through Sullivan. We shall remain grateful to him for giving our people the opportunity to choose.