Politics
Quality leadership and good governance-The Ugwuanyi example
By Dr. Luke Mgboh
According to Andrew Heywood, Leadership can be understood either as a pattern of behaviour or as a personal quality. As a pattern of behaviour, leadership is the influence exerted by an individual or group over a larger body to organize or direct its efforts towards the achievement of desired goals. As a personal attribute, leadership refers to the character traits that enables the leader to exert influence over others; leadership is thus effectively equated with charisma.
Some virtues of leadership include mobilization and inspiration of the people, unifying and encouragement of the people towards same and desired direction and strengthening the people by establishing hierarchy of responsibilities and roles towards achieving desired objectives.
On the otherhand, Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, defines good governance as an essential compliment to sound economic policies central to creating and sustaining an environment which fosters strong and equitable development. It is also defined as a way of measuring how public institutions conduct and manage public affairs and resources respectively.
Undoubtedly, Enugu state government under the able leadership of Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi possesses all the attributes inherent in quality leadership and good governance by virture of her exceptional democratic dispositions, demonstrated in her policies and actions. The State Government is presently an example of a rare blend of sound leadership and good governance.
The Governor has been able to demonstrate leadership through his style of governance when properly weighed side by side with his contemporaries across Nigeria in the context of the present harsh economic and socio/political realities of our time.
Consequently, let me demonstrate some of the outstanding traits of Governor Ugwuanyi’s administration in Enugu State that exemplifies quality leadership and good governance in line with its all encompassing four point agenda.
Participatory governance and mobilization of the people is unarguably a major attribute of Ugwuanyi’s administration which involves inclusion of stakeholders in all major decision processes of his government. He is among the few governors that seeks the consent of local government stakeholders before appointing commissioners or taking any major decision that concern their representation. He consults widely and allows the people to choose who to appoint into his cabinet or represent them at any level of government within the purview of his constitutional role as a Governor
Very importantly, it is an established fact that transparency is the hallmark of Ugwuanyi’s government as he encourages policy implementation to be subjected to public debate and scrutiny. For example, he will always seek the consent and opinion of community leaders before releasing money to them for the implementation of major projects in their communities. Enugu people are eulogising his transparent and open door style of leadership; people have testified that he is tops in adopting and applying such a transparent and open door policy direction. His humility is so amazing that he is one Governor people can reach on Phone no matter your status.
Indeed, the Governor is a master in consensus building. Nobody will accuse him of anything like unilateral decision making. His quest for consensus has infact made some of his critics raise eyebrows about his leadership style which they say is too simplistic. It is a well known fact that imposition of candidates obtainable in other places is not acceptable in Enugu state.
Even local government chairmanship candidates usually emerge at the instance of the people through lobbying and consensus without the usual Governor’s interference. This ultimately leads to free and fair elections at the local government level in the State.
Obviously, transparent and participatory leadership which Ugwuanyi’s administration is undisputably known for is behind his “bottom/ top approach” to Developmental projects for all the 17 local governments in the State. People’s opinion have always determined the direction of most of his policies and actions over time. For instance, he instituted a policy of one local government, two projects worth 250 million naira in each of the 17 LGAs of the state and transparently allowed the citizens to make choices of preferred projects according to their comparative advantages. He also instructed the LG chairmen to ensure accountability in its implementation whenever the resources are made available.
Many institutions in the country have made bold pronouncements that Enugu State is one of the most accountable state when it comes to judicious use of the bail out funds. The State is indeed second to none in the management of scarce resources in Nigeria. A key evidence of good governance.
Without doubt, quick intervention on major issues is a fundamental aspect of Ugwuanyi’s government. He was quick to end the excessive abuse of power on motorists and citizens by some overzealous staff of some government agencies; especially during his first year in office, which is a clear manifestation of his unique style of leadership.
Today, Enugu is home to all, as both ndi – Enugu and visitors are happy with the numerous social amenities provided all over the place, like the Exotic City bus stops, relaxation centres; worthy of mention is the new Unity park, opposite the Michel Okpara Square and several other life enhancement centres scattered across the State.
Civil Servants in the State will never forget the Ugwuanyi administration for the prompt payment of salaries and 13th month despite the harsh economic conditions in the country.
Effective and effecient discharge of duties has become the strength of Ugwuanyi’s government and it has led to several feats as rated by many independent bodies. Good examples is the rating of Enugu State as the second most condusive state in the ease of doing business in Nigeria and , one of the most peaceful states in the country by both local and international agencies. The records are obvious and clear for all to see apart from its practical impact on the economy of the state adjudged as the largest in the South East.
Equitability and inclusiveness by the Ugwuanyi administration is legendary. As a matter of fact, his administration has pursued policy of even distribution of projects, developmental infrastructures and academic institutions across the three senatorial zones of the state. He has been able to live above premodial sentiment in his choice of appointments and project distribution. This trait made him the first Enugu Governor in recent times to appoint principal officers from every Senatorial District. This trait is also evident in the siting of a critical infrastructures in every part of State; which is a reflection of his examplary nature. He has a broad based outlook on everything which includes not concentrating his policies on one sector of the economy. Governor Ugwuanyi or Gburugburu as he is fondly called refused to be lured into facing only one sector, rather he tries to touch every sector of the economy. For instance, his administration is into roads and bridges, electricity projects, Women and Youths empowerment through partnerships with World bank, massive investment in Agriculture; especially the APPEALS/ World Bank Group agricultural loans to farmers for rice, cashew and chicken farming; plus human capital development, security and general welfare.
Adherence to the rule of law is also legendary in Ugwuanyi’s government. He is one Governor that accommodates all shades of opinion. His government guarantees total freedom of speech and separation of power. There has been a harmonious relationship between the three arms of government since the inception of his administration. He has always allowed them to operate freely within the ambit of the rule of law.
Even critics attest to the Man’s simplicity, open mindedness and good will for all.
Interestingly, fellow Governors in contemprary Nigeria accepts that Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi is one of their best. In the midst of today’s challenges, he has managed to steer the ship of Enugu State to one of the most thriving and peaceful states in Nigeria, and we should appreciate and applaud him.
Thus, one can boldly say that Enugu State is in the hands of God!
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld a Federal High Court judgment restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising state congresses conducted by committees appointed by the David Mark-led caretaker leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
In a split decision of two to one, the three-member panel affirmed the earlier ruling of the Federal High Court, holding that the congresses organised under the caretaker committee violated an existing court order.
Justice Okon Abang, who delivered the lead judgment, ruled that there was no basis to set aside the restraining order issued by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik on April 29.
The appellate court also upheld the lower court’s decision barring the caretaker leadership from interfering with the functions and tenure of the party’s duly elected state executive committees.
According to the court, the ADC Constitution vests the responsibility for conducting state congresses in the elected state executive committees, not the national caretaker leadership.
Justice Donatus Okorowo concurred with the lead judgment, while Justice Abba Mohammed dissented, arguing that the matter was an internal affair of the political party and therefore outside the jurisdiction of the courts.
The suit was filed by aggrieved members of the ADC, who challenged the legality of committees established by the David Mark-led caretaker leadership to conduct state congresses. They argued that the appointments breached the party’s constitution, insisting that only duly elected party organs had the authority to organise state congresses.
In its earlier ruling, the Federal High Court held that the four-year tenure of the ADC’s State Working Committees and State Executive Committees remained valid until fresh congresses and a national convention were properly conducted.
Justice Abdulmalik further ruled that neither the 1999 Constitution nor the ADC Constitution empowered the caretaker committee to appoint committees to conduct state congresses.
While noting that courts generally refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of political parties, the judge held that judicial intervention is justified where constitutional or statutory provisions are alleged to have been breached.
Affirming the lower court’s decision, the Court of Appeal declared the state congresses and national convention conducted by the David Mark-led caretaker leadership null and void for being carried out in defiance of an existing court order.
The appellate court stressed that once a dispute raises constitutional issues, it ceases to be merely an internal party matter and becomes subject to judicial review.
Consequently, the court dismissed the ADC’s appeal, upheld all the orders of the Federal High Court, and awarded ₦10 million in costs against the party.
By Chinedu Sabastine
A pro-Yoruba women group, operating under the banner of Yoruba Women in Politics (YWIP), has applauded the Deputy National Chairman (South) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Benjamin Obi Nwoye, for strengthening the party across the Southern part of Nigeria barely three months he assumed office.
They said: “Dr. Benjamin Obi Nwoye is a very honest and open person. He has done considerably well,” the group said.
He was also praised for displaying high democratic ideals and delivering electoral victories for the ruling party in Southern Nigeria.
Chairperson of the women group Mrs. Dorothy Akinyele, in a statement issued in Akure, the Ondo state capital on Saturday applauded Nwoye “for his loyalty, strength of character, and consistency of purpose to the cause of democracy.”
They expressed delight and satisfaction “with the high degree of determination so far exhibited by Nwoye to applying the principle of fair play in treating all party members and asserting independence and neutrality in most cases.”
The highly revered South West women body also commended Nwoye “for deepening the party’s structures in the South-west, South-South and South-East, empowering women and youth and building a stronger APC and a more inclusive future for Nigeria.”
In particular, the women lauded Nwoye “for mobilizing support for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general election, preserving the progressive ideals upon which the APC was built and curtailing the abuse of democratic norms in the ruling party.”
According to them, “Dr. Benjamin Obi Nwoye is level headed, has milk of human kindness flowing in his veins and committed to the success of President Tinubu and the party in 2027 and beyond,” YWIP said.
It therefore, described Dr. Nwoye as “the influential exponent of national unity,” extolling him for ensuring a smooth internal
Democratic process in his home state Enugu, the coal city state.
The Presidential Candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has dismissed a public debate challenge from the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, saying the minister must first become a presidential candidate before seeking such an engagement.
Obi made the remark during an interview with media entrepreneur Chude Jideonwo, where he responded to Umahi’s challenge following his criticism of the condition of Nigerian road.
The former Anambra State governor argued that presidential debates are reserved for candidates seeking the nation’s highest office, insisting that Umahi does not fit that category.
According to Obi, the controversy over the poor state of the roads had already produced results, noting that his criticism prompted repairs.
“If he is inviting me to a debate as a presidential candidate, then he has to become a presidential candidate first,” Obi said.
Drawing an analogy with international football, the NDC presidential flagbearer likened Umahi’s challenge to a team that failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup inviting a qualified team to a match.“The World Cup is going on now. You cannot stay outside and invite a team that qualified for the World Cup to come and play against you simply because you think you are good. No. There is a qualification process,” he added.
Obi maintained that leadership should be measured by performance rather than rhetoric, suggesting that the repairs carried out after his criticism underscored the importance of holding public officials accountable.
His response comes days after Umahi declared that Obi posed no political threat to President Bola Tinubu or the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), while challenging him to a public debate over the state of federal roads and infrastructure across the country.
Ada Ogbu, who made the clarification in a statement posted on her official X account on Saturday, was responding to Keyamo’s ultimatum demanding that Obi apologise to airport officials, pay a ₦25,000 parking fine or face action by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).Executive Branch
Ogbu, who described herself as an eyewitness, maintained that she was among those who accompanied Obi to the airport on Saturday, July 4, and categorically denied the minister’s claim that the politician was driven by a police officer.
“As a member of the team that accompanied His Excellency @PeterObi to the Abuja airport on Saturday, July 4, I can state categorically that he does not have a police officer as his driver in Abuja. Therefore, if airport CCTV captured a police officer entering the driver’s seat of a vehicle, that vehicle could not have been Mr. Obi’s,” she stated.
She further argued that the incident highlighted by Keyamo was different from the one Obi narrated during his interview with media personality Chude Jideonwo.
According to her, Obi’s frequent travels across the country have exposed him and his aides to repeated hostile treatment by airport personnel.Government
“It is also important to note that Mr. Obi travels through as many as ten Nigerian airports every week. Over time, there have been several acts of hostility directed at him and members of his team by airport personnel across different locations,” Ogbu said.
She concluded that the aviation minister had referenced an entirely separate incident.
“Based on the account shared by the Honourable Minister, it is clear that the incident Mr. Obi referenced during his interview with @Chude did not occur on the date or at the airport cited by the Minister. They are plainly two different incidents.”
Her reaction comes hours after Keyamo released CCTV-based findings from an internal inquiry into the airport incident, insisting Obi must publicly apologise to airport workers and pay the prescribed parking fine within one week or risk further action by FAAN.
President Bola Tinubu on Friday formally retained Vice President Kashim Shettima as his running mate for the 2027 presidential election.
This was as political parties made last-minute moves to beat the Independent National Electoral Commission’s deadline for the submission of presidential and National Assembly candidates.
The ruling All Progressives Congress presented the nomination forms of Tinubu and Shettima to its National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, in Abuja for onward transmission to INEC, effectively ending months of speculation that the President could replace his deputy with a northern Christian.
The development came as INEC confirmed that it had received the presidential and vice-presidential nominations of the African Democratic Congress, Nigeria Democratic Congress, Social Democratic Party, Action Alliance, African Action Congress, Peoples Redemption Party and Young Progressives Party.
Meanwhile, several other political parties continued uploading the names of their candidates ahead of the commission’s Saturday midnight deadline.
The electoral commission had fixed July 11, 2026, as the deadline for political parties to upload the nomination forms of their presidential and National Assembly candidates through its online nomination portal in accordance with Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026.
The submission exercise, which commenced on June 27, covers Forms EC9 and EC9A to EC9E for presidential, vice-presidential, Senate and House of Representatives candidates.
According to the timetable released by the commission, political parties are expected to begin uploading the names of governorship and State House of Assembly candidates from July 18, with the exercise ending on August 8.
INEC is scheduled to publish the personal particulars of presidential and National Assembly candidates on August 1, while those of governorship and state assembly candidates will be displayed on August 29 to allow members of the public raise objections where necessary.
The commission also fixed August 22 as the deadline for the withdrawal and substitution of presidential and National Assembly candidates, while governorship and state assembly candidates have until September 19 for withdrawal or replacement in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
The July 11 deadline marks one of the most critical stages in the build-up to the 2027 general elections, as only candidates validly nominated by political parties through primaries monitored by INEC are eligible for submission.
The commission had repeatedly warned political parties against submitting the names of candidates different from those who emerged from duly monitored primaries, insisting that any nomination outside the provisions of the Electoral Act and its regulations would be rejected.
Against this backdrop, the APC used Friday’s presentation ceremony to publicly affirm its presidential ticket, signalling that it would head into the 2027 contest without altering the Muslim-Muslim ticket that secured victory in the 2023 presidential election.
Following President Tinubu’s emergence as the APC’s presidential candidate during the party’s convention, political discussions had intensified over whether the President would retain Shettima or opt for another running mate to broaden the party’s electoral appeal.
Those speculations gathered momentum in recent months amid reports that the ruling party was considering a northern Christian as vice-presidential candidate to address concerns over religious balancing.
Friday’s submission, however, ended the uncertainty, with the APC formally presenting Tinubu and Shettima as its flag bearers for the 2027 election.
The nomination documents were presented on behalf of the President by his Special Adviser on Political Matters, Ibrahim Masari, during a ceremony attended by members of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, the National Assembly, the Federal Executive Council, the APC National Working Committee, state chairmen of the party and APC governorship candidates.
Earlier, the APC National Organising Secretary, Sulaiman Argungu, described the event as the formal presentation of the duly completed nomination forms of the party’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
Argungu noted that President Tinubu had earlier secured the party’s presidential ticket through what he described as a transparent primary election, and urged party members to remain united ahead of the 2027 polls.
He also commended the President for what he described as the achievements of his administration before formally handing over the nomination documents to the APC National Chairman for onward submission to INEC.
Speaking on behalf of APC governors, Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, reaffirmed the governors’ support for President Tinubu and the party leadership.
“We are delighted that this event is coming after a well-organised and thoroughly supervised primary process. We reiterate our commitment to continue supporting President Tinubu and the party,” he said.
Uzodimma said the APC remained committed to internal democracy and inclusiveness, adding that the governors would continue mobilising support for the President across the country.
“We will continue to support him in the larger interest of Nigerians and to take the country to greater heights. To the National Working Committee, we reaffirm our support. Together, we are going to deliver victory for President Tinubu and ensure the party wins all elective positions, including the National and State Assemblies,” he added.
Receiving the nomination forms, APC National Chairman, Prof. Yilwatda, described the event as a reflection of the confidence reposed in President Tinubu by millions of party members across the country.
According to him, the President’s endorsement by members of the party demonstrated widespread support for his administration and its policies.
He stated, “Today is a reflection of the wishes of over 12 million members of the APC who overwhelmingly voted for Mr. President as the party’s candidate for the 2027 presidential election. We are proud that APC members across the country cast over 12 million votes for Mr. President and overwhelmingly endorsed him.
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