A chance meeting with Ifeanyi Ubah Written by Obumneme Nsoedo It was an informal setting devoid of the trappings of a political gathering. Venue was the banquet hall of Golden Tulip Hotel Festac town, Lagos. Guests were glued to their seats, enjoying some nightcaps. Pleasant tune swished from a music box in the background to give the evening some air of conviviality. He sat at one end of the lobby, surrounded by a coterie of friends. Chief Ifeanyi Ubah, the boss of Capital Oil is not one to be missed in a crowd. Hardly did we step into the lobby than he noticed my friend with whom he has enjoyed reasonable acquaintance. He eased himself from his seat and made straight to us. Together we shuffled to another end of the hall where we sat to a hearty discussion, but not before he literally nudged us to the buffet stand for dinner. I must admit to Ubah’s geniality. His friendly, candid nature redounds to his unique personality. He discussed every issue broached without cant. He shot straight and made his points as lucid as possible. Explaining his interest in politics, he said he is in the race for Anambra governorship just to create wealth and better the lives of the people. He particularly mentioned youth empowerment and security as areas where his government will focus more. He denied a charge of intent to trade with the resources of the state when elected. Rather he painted a graphic picture of how he intends to turn the fortunes of the state around without necessarily levying her people. At this point our discussion shifted to his business which has come under attack lately. He tried to explain the involvement of Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) and dismissed the rumour making the round that the Asset Managers have taken over his business. He called that the figment of a detractor’s imagination. AMCON, he said, cannot sequestrate on his property because Capital Oil has not strained the limit of constitutional authority. He said his company is not among those publicly declared insolvent. There is an agreement, he said, between Capital Oil and AMCON to manage an aspect of the company. This is why, according to him, Capital Oil appointed five out of the eight man management team and approved the remaining three from AMCON. He pointed with some justice that if, indeed, his company was bankrupt as speculated such privilege would not be granted him. As our discussion again shifted back to politics he was reminded that opposition arrayed against him, especially from the state government, is formidable. He chuckled and waved the threat aside. He reminded us that God, and not man, makes kings. Besides, he asked: “From what political credit is Obi going to draw the strength to install a successor? It is strange how people blindly massage unnecessary ego. How many political office holders can conveniently ascribe their success to him? None to the best of my knowledge! I wonder why people make political capital out of this. Why, for example, will my success or lack of it, be a function of his making? If I recall, none of the three senators that emerged successful in the 2011 National Assembly elections owed his success to him. In fact, he lost all even the Central senatorial district dearest to his heart. Except he now has certain magic not available to him then, this will amount to unnecessary dissipation of energy. I will very much bet anything that my good people of Anambra State, who have seen through the façade won’t hesitate to vote according to their conscience. Don’t forget I have survived many wars occasioned by more formidable enemies. The Anambra election which will be fought within the confine of rules of election will not be any different.” Shorn of the dissimulating tendencies of a typical Nigerian politician, Ubah told his stories with striking openness. He parried no question, but answered all as plainly as possible. I left the venue of the meeting convinced the man has something to offer his people. Though I may be wrong, but my wrong perception of him, formed from the prism of sustained propaganda, got shattered. The opposition is worried, and justifiably so, that his chances will be buoyed by his extreme goodwill. I am not too sure everybody will share this optimism. Those who believe, as did Walter Lippmann, that Franklin Delano Roosevelt was “a pleasant man who without any important qualification for the office would like very much to be president” still abound. I am convinced that Ubah will prove the Lippmann of today, as did Roosevelt, wrong. He may turn out to be that elusive leader who will broker the new deal that will leapfrog the state to a new political and economic height. This, however, can be possible if, and until, he is able to surmount in fact, and indeed, the mass of opposition, especially from the state. It is strange but true that the state government has become the arrowhead of opposition against him. What began as a wedding ceremony in Lagos has since been turned into instrument of political warfare. I recall that newspapers were awash with stories of how traditional rulers from the state and members of the state House of Assembly attended the wedding. However the reaction of the state government has been less than honourable. A threat of withdrawal of certificates of the Royal Fathers was reported almost at the same time as members of the state legislature demanded an apology from the State Commissioner for Information for scathing remarks. Recently it was reported that Anambra State government gave gifts of SUV to all the traditional rulers. This is seen as part of the politics to cut down on the political influence of the Capital Oil boss. The state was to deny this coloration, saying the vehicles were long procured from the manufacturer for the purpose. Many are yet to make out what went wrong between these two personalities. At least both were seen, until quite recently, as close associates. They made public show of kerosene sale with Obi praising Ubah as public spirited. At what point both parted ways is still a mystery. However, going by obvious dissimilarities in both personalities the relationship should never last. And it never did. One is conservative and suspicious while the other is innovative and trusting. If politics were to course the natural divide, and which often is the case, what is happening should not surprise anybody. After my encounter with him that night I came to realize why the state should worry greatly over his quest for governorship. Apart from the reason above, the man has enough funds to execute his political campaign. He has charm and knows how to get to the hearts of voters. Qualities like courage, humility, geniality, sincerity and fellow-feeling which are in short supply among politicians abound in him. Where he has obvious deficiency, as a result of human frailty, his many positive traits would suffice. Though he may have been stereotyped as a nouveau riche with little to offer politically, but those who fight him either in his business or on the governorship project know better than that. They know he has redoubtable spirit that does not concede defeat easily.
Posted on: Tue, 02 Jul 2013 04:25:52 +0000
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