Nana Ogbodo: Peter Mbah a Gift That’ll Give Enugu a Lift

In this interview, Nana Ogbodo, the Enugu State PDP Campaign Council spokesman, touts the unique qualities of Dr Peter Mbah as the potential winner in the March 11 gubernatorial poll, dismissing the possibility of PDP losing its grip on power

Many observers said next month’s governorship election in Enugu will be keenly contested, unlike in the past when the PDP had an easy ride without any viable opposition. How does that affect your candidate’s chances?
It’s not the first time that such sentiments have been expressed. It has become a common refrain since 2003. But it is all wishful thinking. In the end, it always boils down to the quality of candidates on the ballot. There is not a shred of doubt that the experience and accomplishments of the PDP governorship candidate, Dr. Peter Mbah, have made him a towering figure in this election with an unassailable chance of being elected governor of Enugu State. This is the reality reinforced every day as our candidate receives massive support and endorsements across the state, including from among the opposition. Despite the glaring popularity of our candidate, we believe the electorate should never be taken for granted, and we have, therefore, consistently held town hall meetings in all the 68 Development Centres of the state. This has given the PDP a strong grassroots presence. You can’t possibly win the people’s hearts and minds if you don’t campaign. That is a lesson the opposition parties in Enugu State need to learn.

There is rising poverty among the populace, as evident in a recent National Bureau of Statistics report, with states barely fulfilling their statutory obligations due to dwindling allocation from the federation account. How does your candidate intend to change this grim narrative?
Whatever promises Dr. Mbah has made on his campaign trail were not made to hoodwink the electorate. First, it is gratifying that our candidate had himself demonstrated from the outset an understanding of the scale of the socio-economic challenges that confront a state like Enugu State, which has for years lived with the unflattering moniker of a “civil service state”. The exigencies of the time that we live in clearly require new thinking, and the bold growth template that Peter Mbah has outlined in his manifesto is reflective of this. For instance, the agricultural rebirth, which he seeks to enthrone through sustained investment in the sector and planned creation of special agro-industrial zones in all three senatorial districts of the state, is anchored on the indisputable potential of agriculture to create jobs. One of the significant things about Mbah’s plan to scale up production in agriculture is that the programme is largely export-oriented. As envisioned, there would be a partnership with the private sector in a way that will develop small and medium-scale enterprises for processing and packaging cash crops such as cashew, yam, cassava, maize, palm oil and the famous Nsukka Pepper for the export market.

How do you relate to the fact that so many allegations have dogged your candidate since he threw his hat in the ring for this gubernatorial contest? From the claim of EFCC detention to the allegation of a plea bargain and the latest NYSC saga. What should we believe?
Anybody in the contest to become governor of Enugu State in this season and who had known the intimidating profile of Dr. Mbah would rightly identify that without pulling him down, he would not possibly make any headway. Don’t forget that it is the tree that bears the most luscious fruits that people cast stones at. Unfortunately for all of them, Dr. Mbah is too clean and too smart to be dented. Like the previous ones, the latest ploy is unravelling woefully. Contrary to their prevarications, Dr. Mbah has never been tried by the EFCC, let alone having the need to enter a plea bargain. The NYSC allegation is yet another storm in a teacup, the delusional fantasy of a desperate opposition who wants to ascend to power by subterfuge. It’s a hatchet job by a purchased syndicate essentially to smear and distract our campaigns. In determining a crime, one of the basic questions we ask is what is the main reason; that is, what could be the persuading factors to such crime? Possession of an NYSC certificate is not a qualifying credential to contest an election into the office of the governor, so why should anyone have to present a fake one? So there was, ab initio, no incentive to forge an NYSC discharge certificate.

That’s not implying, however, that the allegation of forgery is correct. It’s a wicked tale concocted to mislead the public. Besides, the fact of our candidate’s NYSC certificate is not subject to the whims of any desperate individuals. His call-up letter, deployment letter to his place of primary assignment, and clearance upon completion of his NYSC programme, culminating in his discharge certificate, are very much intact. Interestingly, some of the purveyors of this trash could not even graduate from the university, let alone go for youth service. Some others are irreverent upstarts, promoted beyond their ken and who have all this while been boxing above their weights, oblivious of the fact that the fantasy is over. The recent lie by the opposition is simply a case of trying to gain by subterfuge what they know they can’t secure via the ballot. I have no doubt that history will vindicate the just!

Isn’t the fact that a serving PDP senator in Enugu openly campaigning for the APC presidential candidate a worrying issue capable of hurting your candidate’s prospects in the election?
By no means! That PDP has always been the ruling party in Enugu State may not be that the populace had always wholesomely been enamoured of the party than the quality of the candidates we have always sponsored for elections. The trend is certainly not different in this election cycle, where the stature of the PDP governorship candidate, in terms of accomplishments and vision, is stratospheric in comparison to the other parties’ candidates. So we are clearly not bothered by that, even though it is not lost on us that the brand of politics we practice in Nigeria is partisan democracy.

Many have observed that Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has not shown adequate presence at the campaign stumps of Dr. Peter Mbah during his tour of development centres. This is different from what we saw under Gov. Sullivan Chime. Does it signify any friction in the house?
It depends on what you consider to be ‘adequate presence’. Whereas it is important to point out the fact that this season’s campaigns, which adopted a town hall model of interface with the people, differ significantly from what it used to be, it must, however, be stated that Governor Ugwuanyi, more than any other in the past, has campaigned most vigorously for the incoming governor. There is no stratum of the society he has not personally engaged for this purpose. That perhaps explains the near unanimity in the acceptance of the candidate of our great party. Besides, unlike the Sullivan era, Governor Ugwuanyi is himself a candidate for the Enugu North senatorial district, and he is campaigning vigorously there. Don’t forget that those who will vote for him at the election will also vote for the governorship candidate at the gubernatorial election because it is PDP all the way. Even then, for Governor Ugwuanyi, when you do a great thing, you don’t have to make a great fuss. He has given the state the best candidate we can ever hope for, and the facts are immutable. Dr. Peter Mbah is a gift, and he will give Enugu State a magnificent lift.