By Wilfred Eya
“The steps were taken smoothly; the next taken with great pains and discomfort and two other next steps lifted as if taking smooth steps… that was part of my life from the outset.”
With the above words, the winner of last Wednesday’s primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) in Enugu State, Mr Peter Mbah prophetically captured his life’s trajectory in a recent speech he delivered to students of Godfrey Okoye University in Enugu. The speech was titled, “The Story from Obscurity to Dominance”, and in that particular event, he said his life’s trajectory exemplifies the short, calculated steps of a ladder.
For those who followed the build up to the recent PDP governorship primaries in Enugu, it was clearly a case of a transition from political obscurity to dominance. Like a bolt out of the blue, Peter Mba’s governorship ambition which initially started as a rumour gradually took a life of its own and became a reality.
Those conversant with the dynamics of Enugu politics agree that the battle for Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s successor to the Lion Building is done and dusted considering that the PDP has been in control of the state since 1999. Enugu is literally a one party state and the emergence of the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Pinnacle Oil and Gas Limited, an indigenous oil and gas company as the PDP candidate is as good as winning the main election.
Since his victory at the tension-soaked primaries, the political temperature of the serene Coal city state which was literally boiling over has substantially subsided and his victory has put paid to all manner of politics, speculations and even mudslinging by various stakeholders on different divides to achieve set political goals
Mr Mba, who was also Commissioner for Finance under Senator Chimaroke Nnamani’s administration, polled 790 votes in the primaries contested by nine aspirants.
His closest rival, Chijioke Edeoga polled nine votes, followed by Chinyeaka Ohaa with three votes while Senator Ike Ekweremadu and Chukwunta Gilbert got one vote each.
For those who followed the buildup to the primaries, Mba’s victory did not come as a surprise and he was no doubt, the aspirant to beat. From day one, the technocrat was a factor even though he was unassuming and very reserved in the pursuit of his ambition.
Many agree that even till he won the primaries, he hardly ever spoke on his gubernatorial ambition amid the cacophony of voices by other aspirants. Whereas his opponents were all over the place including the social media since Governor Ugwuanyi started his second term in 2019, the Enugu PDP flag bearer kept his cool. Despite being a front runner in the race, his posters and billboards were nowhere to be found in the state. Some believe it was his own strategy because as they say, silence is golden.
News of Mba’s ambition filtered in early last year and gradually increased in tempo until last Wednesday when he swept the votes from delegates that participated in the primaries. It was a landslide.
But that is not to say his victory came easy as he was the target of many aspirants and power brokers who deployed all manner of shenanigans to stop him in the race. Some even concocted imaginary cases with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) and gave reasons why he should not be the one. That plot failed.
There were others who branded Mbah as a political godson of Senator Chimaroke Nnamani and expressed fears that the former governor through him, would be ruling Enugu State through the back door. That conspiracy theory too did not fly with the people.
Some stakeholders especially from Isi Uzo local government who felt entitled to the governorship seat raised dust that Governor Ugwuanyi had anointed Mbah. They cried blue murder citing sentiments of fairness, equity and justice in terms of representation. The argument also fell like a pack of cards.
The allegations and conspiracy theories were coming in torrents and all manner of darts were thrown at the Enugu PDP flag bearer even when his visibility in the Enugu political space was limited.
However, despite the unassuming posture of Mbah, many believed there was certainly something which made him the centre of attraction of all aspirants. The question was: why was it that among the array of aspirants, he was the only one singled out for crucifixion as it were? Some hawks perfectly read the direction of the politics of the times and as the primaries turned out eventually, many could see why.
However, with the battle over, there are no victors and no vanquished. The governor, in the perception of many does not believe in the politics of winner takes all and all the aspirants who lost to Mbah remain major stakeholders in the next administration.
What is important to the people of Enugu State is that Governor Ugwuanyi’s choice for successor is a man with a pedigree. He has education, exposure and experience in public and private sector; Mba is a global citizen whose contacts would positively impact the people of Enugu State. For him to become a dominant player in the downstream sector of the nation’s petroleum industry is no mean feat.
He is a Nigerian Professional and businessman with over 28 years experience and has a long track record of entrepreneurship, characterized by iconoclasm, which has driven him to continually question the status quo in every industry he has found himself.
Mr. Mbah’s experience cuts across various sectors and activities including import trade, oil and gas sales and distribution and maritime logistics. He also has his footprints on the sands of public service, having served as the Chief of Staff to the Enugu State Governor and Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development of the Enugu State Government.
His Quest for continuous growth and empowerment has seen him through the completion of a Chief Executive Programme at the Lagos Business School, after which he bagged an MBA from IESE Business School, Barcelona, Spain. He holds an LL.B in Law from the University of East London, and an LLM in Maritime Law from Lagos State University. He is also a Fellow of the Certified Institute of Public Administration and Management (CIPM).
As diverse as Mr. Mbah’s career has been, its consistent underpinning factor has been his passion for excellence, integrity, corporate governance and the perpetual search for knowledge.
Mbah’s Pinnacle is one of the oil industry’s leading players which has succeeded in eliminating multiple handling of operations in the oil industry space. Pinnacle owns one of the largest oil facilities in Nigeria today, with a world-class monstrous storage facility that has enabled the industry to cut down immensely on costs and turn-around time in operation. The company also offers one of the largest offshore liquid bulk terminals in Africa and is creating values through excellent services.
Young Peter commenced schooling at the Army Children’s School, Bori Camp, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, at a tender age of five and attracted school-wide attention for his brilliance. Promoted to skip Elementary Three due to his brilliance, Peter began to read biographies while in Elementary school, chief of which was This Life, a bulky biography of legendary Hollywood actor, Sidney Poitier, the first Black man to win an Oscar for Best Actor in 1964 for his role in Lilies of the Field. This Life is the narrative of how a poor young man from the Bahamas, who couldn’t speak good English, came to the US, cleaning the streets, going to shops to beg and who eventually got a job as a cleaner. Poitier eventually improved himself and got to win an Oscar. This story which he read at the tender age, inspired him to aim for the top, no matter the huge existential limitations confronting him at the time.
At 12, he was thesame small boy who, with a distinction in the First School Leaving Examination, when his parents were at a financial crossroads (because his admittance to college would mean the stoppage of his siblings’ schooling), confidently told his mom he would rather drop out of school to start trading than have their schooling halted. He was thereafter seconded to a family friend in Lagos, from their Port Harcourt base, to live and work as an apprentice electronics boy at Alaba Market.
So, rising to the pinnacle of his career has not been a tea party . Armed with an LLB from the University of East London, a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the IESE University of Navarra, Spain and a string of other degrees he has had, Peter acquired his business knack from the beginning.
Reflecting on his life, Mr Mbah had said: “I have packaged into this short life of mine a lot of grits, frustration, disappointments, rough tackles but each with very strong determination.”
Explaining the business mogul and boardroom czar that he later became, he said, “I am a man you can sum up his life story as one who has an eye for the unusual and who runs the race of life with an amazing vigour.”
Reacting to Mbah’s victory at the primaries, former member of the House of Representatives, USA Igwesi said it was a thing of celebration in Enugu State.
He commended Governor Ugwuanyi for being an advocate of peace and a leader who is more interested in the collective interests of Enugu people than those of individuals.
The former majority leader of Enugu State House of Assembly described the governor’s choice of Mbah as a proof of his sophistication and practice of politics for the public good.
He commended Ugwuanyi for anointing a true professional and global citizen whose humility and passion for public service will remain an asset for the people of Enugu State.
Igwesi urged all the aspirants who lost to Mbah to join hands with him to continue from where Governor Ugwuanyi would end in the development of the state.
He urged Mbah to run an all-inclusive government that would be fair to all.
Also, a chieftain of the PDP from Enugu North Senatorial zone, Ugwumba Hillary Ogili praised Governor Ugwuanyi’s political sagacity which manifested in the peaceful conduct of the party’s primaries.
He said the icing on the cake was the emergence of Mbah who, he described as the right man for the job.
Ugwumba Ogili who is one of the popular grassroots influencers in Igboeze North observed that with the Enugu PDP flag bearer’s pedigree, Enugu would surely witness a boost in terms of development.
