By Reuben Onyishi
That Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, the governorship candidate of the PDP in Enugu State, is an intellectually sound person is something that is very clear to everyone who has encountered him. Peter is a pleasant and highly cerebral personality. In him is true education in character and learning. He exudes elegance, charm, aura, grace, charisma, poise, confidence, intellectuality, uncommon intelligence and absolute equanimity. Peter’s mien inspire confidence and consciousness of credible leadership in followership. He is soft-spoken and easygoing yet audacious in his approach to tasks and challenges. Watching Peter deliver at the MEDRHUS Leadership Forum, one would rightly conclude an Obama has come to Enugu State. Peter Mbah is an uncommon gift of leadership to Enugu State.
Much of Peter Mbah’s personality had come to the fore during the build up to the PDP governorship primaries. Peter had strategically focused on the task of winning the primaries in such a way that he would not pander to the bandying of empty words, the throwing of tantrums and sponsoring of calumny against opponents. He had focused on his inspiration and drive to offer credible leadership to the people of Enugu State. Peter had begun to burn with the verve to replicate his transformative and innovative leadership abilities, as had been demonstrated in both his private and public sector antecedents, with a view to create positive impacts in the lives of the Enugu citizenry.
The choice of Peter Mbah by the PDP is a demonstration of the fact that the party in Enugu State took a consciously deliberate decision that would guarantee a seamless transition of the Ugwuanyi administration to identified credible asset.The choice of Peter Mbah and the highly cerebral Ifeanyi Ossai by Governor Ugwuanyi even against the pressure from some nepotistic and cliquish sentiments is a sign that whoever tastes the sweet flagon never lets go. Governor Ugwuanyi has a third eye that sees farther and deeper than the surface configuration. It is for the reason of his love for the people of the state and the need to bequeath the state the legacy of good leadership that informed his choice and support for Peter Mbah.
At the MEDRHUS Leadership Forum held at Mary Odili Moot Court of the Faculty of Law, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus on 24th September, 2022, Peter Mbah had left everyone present at the event enthralled with his forthright delivery on the topic, “Leadership in Modern Times: Youths Bridging the Gap.” His delivery confirms the fact that Peter is abreast of modern main currents in leadership. He handled the topic with much ease and perspicuity, delving into the ontological question of leadership, the theories that seek to explain it, leadership styles and models.
Peter had distinguished three styles of leadership and then tied them to pragmatic situations using Nigeria as a case study. He had bemoaned the dearth of credible leadership in Nigeria and roused the people to the need for transcedental leadership which goes beyond transactional and transformative leadership styles. This model, Peter taught, transcends the leader but rather is the bringing in of the led into the leadership trajectory and the building out of the leader from the limitations of self. The transcendental leader is multidimensional in awareness and rediscovery. He is driven by transcendental motives summarized as emotional intelligence. The transcedental leader is a servant leader who thinks ‘we’ instead of ‘I’. The bane of transformational leadership is the building of the cult around the leader as identified by Peter.
Peter Mbah himself has antecedents of transcedental leadership in both public and private sectors. That was one of the lessons to take away from the lecture. By implication, Peter was not reeling out undoable theories. No! He tied them to personal antecedents. While Peter was the commissioner for finance in Enugu State, he was as recorded by Newswatch Magazine one of the top 10 commissioners of finance in Nigeria. He developed leadership models that innovatively transformed the ministry and the state revenue profile. He brought his team playing spirit to bear on leadership at the ministry and it paid off in many positive terms.
The story of Pinnacle Oil is quite another landmark demonstration of Peter Mbah’s transcedental leadership abilities. It was he who moved the relatively unknown player in the downstream oil and gas sector from the rear to the forefront to the extent that Pinnacle Oil today is the industry leader in terms of revenue generation and market share. This is no mean feat and could not have been achieved without the strategic top-notch leadership Peter had impressed on the firm.
Peter ordinarily would not seek to be governor if he was driven my self-interest. Leaving the cosy place of the CEO of the biggest player in oil and gas business for the uncertainties inherent in politics surely is a decision one could not have easily taken out of selfish desire. Peter is driven by transcedental motives.The motive is to develop the people and make Enugu State great. Peter would have zero rate in poverty head count as the governor of Enugu State. He will eradicate hunger and poverty in Enugu State as his target is to shore up to such astronomical dimension the GDP of the state from $4 billion to $30 billion.
The moot court filled to the brim had erupted in paroxysmal applause and aesthetic ululations in expression of satisfaction and deep contentment with Peter’s exquisite delivery. The response and reactions of the audience, a mix of students, the academic, politicians and Enugu stakeholders, were a sign of complete approval and acceptance of the person and candidacy of Barr. Peter Mbah. It is a reconfirmation and affirmation of the fact that Peter Mbah is the new hope of better tomorrow for Enugu State. With Peter, tomorrow indeed is here.
