In the build-up to the Anambra State governorship election on November 16, the crown for the ultimate grandstander must go to Labour Party (LP) candidate and controversial businessman, Ifeanyi Ubah. He has outclassed his rivals in loudmouthedness , which unfortunately is a quality many politicians in the land crave, in the mistaken conviction that it works on the electorate.
However, it is comforting that Ubah, contrary to his fantasy, does not have the exalted position in his pocket just yet. It will be an intense contest, with the magnetic Senator Chris Ngige of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the incumbent-backed Chief Willie Obiano of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) promising a tough battle.
Interestingly, Ubah himself unwittingly betrayed the unappealing nature of his candidacy in a recent newspaper interview. His words: “I am a money maker, a magician trained by God. In fact, let me tell you something, if I can gather all my resources, what God has blessed me with; I can do 50 percent of Anambra without anybody’s money. If I gather my worldwide resources and I am given a free hand to change Anambra, I promise that I will do 50 percent of what is in my manifesto without touching one kobo of Anambra State government.”
In concrete terms, Ubah’s suggestion, which might be no more than an “epic boast”, was that he could on his own provide over N50 billion to run the state. This implication, based on the state’s 2013 budget of N110.9 billion, is a point to ponder. If it was a conscious statement, uttered with veracity, then the people of Anambra need look no farther than Ubah. On the other hand, if he merely served entertainment, the people ought to give him a wide berth, like others of that ilk who speak superlatively about their personal wealth with little evidence of employing it to transform society.
In the first place, it is apt to wonder just how much Ubah is worth, given his grandiosity. Then, of course, the question of his sources would be inevitable. Furthermore, it would be interesting to know how faithful he has been in performing his civic duties, especially obeying the law and paying tax that is due. Such contemplation would be appropriate against the background of Ubah’s complicated expansion. His 40th birthday two years ago was a study in lavishness, and a statement that stamped him on the collective consciousness. Shortly after, his name featured prominently in the oil subsidy payment storm, and then he got entangled with Cosmas Maduka of Coscharis Motors Limited over a gargantuan financial deal that went sour. Lately, he was forced to relinquish the management of his company, Capital Oil and Gas Limited, to the Assets Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) for two years on account of debt issues. And he is in court with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which maintains that he has a case to answer in respect of a fraud allegation concerning a parcel of land at Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, Lagos.
Beyond his troubles, which would likely be assuaged by electoral victory, it is instructive to reflect on his social responsibility in connection with his town, Nnewi, and in the context of his self-publicised prosperity. He reportedly established Ifeanyi Ubah Foundation which is said to have awarded university scholarships, sunk boreholes, installed electricity transformers, repaired and graded community roads and provided free fuel to commercial motorcyclists and bus drivers weekly. However, the truth is that these might be no more than tokenist gestures, considering the stupendous riches he claims.
Regrettably, the entrepreneurial model that makes obscene noise about personal possessions but unenthusiastic about sharing a reasonable portion with society is very familiar. Across the country, there are so-called people-oriented Foundations set up by the wealthy and powerful, which function simply in a cosmetic fashion, lacking not only consistency, but also the commitment to long-term service. In addition, they are fundamentally ego-driven and constituted merely to aid vain posturing.
Perhaps Ubah could benefit from reading the book, What Money Can’t Buy, by Harvard University scholar Michael Sandel, which is a critique of the “market society”. For, there is a subtle market mentality involved in the method he chose to sell his candidacy, relying on the seduction of money and what it can buy, in this case, his private wealth flaunted as a cushion that the people can count on beyond state funds. His selling point should not be encouraged, particularly because it glosses over the deeper moral implications.
Quite strangely, but revealing of the fact that his candidacy is basically deficient in integrity, Ubah in the interview said of himself, “I am one of the Villa boys. I am not in an opposition party.” The puzzling self- description was his answer to a question about his relationship with the seat of federal power, which is occupied by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). If Ubah’s suggestion is that LP and PDP are not rivals in Anambra, should this be interpreted to mean that the parties are one and the same, or perhaps partners? Whose interest, therefore, would Ubah represent, should he win?
Again, there are moral angles. The people deserve full disclosure concerning Ubah’s actual leaning, rather than misleading double-speak. The lesson: Ubah inadvertently highlighted the sorry reality that the country’s political parties are separated by little or no differences in ideology. That is why he could so easily attempt to blur the dividing line. It is especially tragic that it involved LP, which is conventionally perceived as egalitarian and progressive, in contradistinction to the conservative elitism represented by PDP.
Although the Anambra electorate is expected to have the final say, it is important to stress that political governance is too weighty to be left to moneybags, particularly the showy type who defines money in terms of a magic bullet, and demonstrates little respect for the moral core that should guide money-making and the purpose of wealth. It is equally crucial that the leader should be ruled by ideological clarity, the lack of which would create undesirable illusions for the people.
