By Celestine Okafor (Editor-in-Chief) @CelestineOkaf11
The race for the Senate Presidency of the National Assembly's 10th Senate is on. The battle promises to be fierce but healthy, as strong contenders from the South East, North East and partially from the North Central geo-political zones are already filing out, lobbying on all fronts and deploying the intrigues that usually attend the jostle for the nation's number three seat after every general elections in the country.
But the factors that will shape the choice of who eventually emerges as next Senate President when the 10th Parliament will hopefully be inaugurated in June, would be determined by some key issues such as geo-zonal power balancing, the mindset of the power brokers within the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), the track records of the aspirants and their individual ability to market themselves for the job, their contributions and fidelity to the party, as well as character antecedents and other sundry considerations that may be applied by the party and the new presidency.
Already, it is rightly being expected that with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a muslim, as President of Nigeria from the South West Zone, and his Vice, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, another muslim from the North East Zone, the nation's number three citizen (next Senate President) automatically should be a Christian and specifically from the South East geo-political Zone, where there currently exist, a preponderance of prominent political leaders and chieftains and Senators-elect within the ruling APC. This scenario is markedly different from what obtained in 2015 when the APC assumed power without any South East Senator elected on the party's platform.
This power composition definitely would reinforce, rather than erode, the age-long and historical ethno-political tripod of Nigeria. Above all, it will help entrench or set the tone for the much touted, earnestly expected, Government of National Unity (GNU) and ultimately, ensure the stability of the coming dispensation. Nigeria's ethno-religious cohesion has truly been under intense stress and strains, in recent years.
However, among the APC heavy weight Senators-elect from the South East who have indicated interest on the job, is Engr. David Nweze Umahi, the incumbent governor of Ebonyi State and the Senator elected on the platform of the party to represent Ebonyi South Senatorial District, in the South East Nigeria. Umahi, although not a cognate lawmaker at that level in the past, is however seen as having a great propensity and unparalleled record for developmental and innovative leadership.
He was a former party chairman and an ex-deputy governor of Ebonyi state in the second tenure of the administration of Chief Martin Elechi, between 2011 and 2015. Besides, he is a practicing Engineer with chains of Engineering Companies he owned.
Umahi is noted as a problem solver, a quick solution thinker, a political strategist and a pan-Nigerian mind who is given to mobilizing human talents around him to achieve positive result for the good of country and humanity. It is to Umahi's credit that Ebonyi State which had remained like a rural territory, almost twenty years after it was created by the military in 1996, can now be described in common parlance as a "small London", on account of Dave Umahi's massive infrastructural, physical, economic, security and sundry transformation of the state.
On coming on board as governor of Ebonyi in 2015, the young Civil Engineer and politician from Umunaga village, in Uburu Autonomous Community in Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, began, quite early, to give the state a facelift in all ramifications. He started with well laid out quality road networks across the urban and rural locations of Ebonyi. The roads are built with 8" concrete thickness that guarantees durability and functionality. They connect all the local governments and exist even on federal highways. Old and new roads in both urban and rural areas got the same treatment. This initiative opened up the state and enhanced its agricultural and economic activities.
Engr. Umahi built from the scratch, the most aesthetic and enchanting conducive university in the country called David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences. This school is second to none in both structure and facility equipment. The teaching hospital of that university is a world class in terms of standard, both in layout and equipment. It is a hospital already doing damage to the Indian and other medical tourism destinations in the world.
The governor expanded the frontiers of the state capital, and built it into what has been adjudged the fastest growing city in Nigeria. Umahi moved into a virgin area and transformed it to a cosmopolitan city. He built a new government house that most visitors have acclaimed as the best ever in Nigeria. He also built a governor and a presidential lodges that are truly presidential in outlook. Umahi built a magnificent Government House Chapel and a first lady's complex that completely surpasses the Beijing standard. He built an Executive Council Chambers of Ebonyi state government which he modeled after the United Nations General Assembly building.
Among Umahi's giant strides are the International airport he built which is nearing completion with a 3.1 kilometre runway. This is the biggest in West Africa. The finishing of these projects are glorious in sights as all his projects. Most noble are his network of bridges. In less than eight years of his tenure, over 22 flyovers are dotted majestically across the state at strategic points. One of them, the Iyere bridge is the longest flyover ever perching atop a 20 metres high across 30 span.
Not only that, Umahi built the biggest worship house, the Ecumenical Centre in the state capital Abakaliki. The centre is both massive and elegant. It sits adjacent to the biggest shopping mall in the country, known as the Ebonyi Shopping Mall, and modeled after the famous Dubai Mall. He built a new Ebonyi Governor's Lodge in Abuja, which is about the most astounding building in Asokoro area of the FCT, Abuja. They are all part of the Umahi legacy projects. The Ebonyi Senator-elect, indeed, has a heart for big projects which he finishes classically. Most amazing is that he will leave no uncompleted projects for his successor. Even the Olympic sized stadium started a few months ago is already on its way to the finish line. Yet, he is running a state with one of the least statutory revenue allocations in the country.
Umahi is a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers and also a Fellow of the National Association of Technologists in Engineering. Ebonyi state under him is adjudged the least indebted state in the South East Zone and within the five least in the country. The Fiscal Responsibility Commission says the state is one of the most prudent in the country in the management of human and material resources. Umahi has been Man of the Year of several Media houses and other plethora of awards, including a prestigious national honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON).
Even as a state party chairman, Umahi became the very first occupant of such a position to conceptualize, develop and build a permanent structure as the secretariat of the party, a feat that is yet to be matched even by national leaders of political parties. Over the years, however, Umahi's achievements in Ebonyi State and in the South East Zone in general had remained a reference point in modern governance, a fact both the citizens of the state, visitors, colleague governors and President Muhammadu Buhari himself have roundly acknowledged.
Umahi has the enormous capacity to add value to a Tinubu/Shettima APC administration. Afterall, the issue of cognate consideration wasn't a barrier when the same Senate, at the nascent stage of the current Nigeria's democracy between 1999 and 2005, elected as Senate Presidents and at different times, lawmakers who have distinguished themselves, like Senators Evans Enwerem, Dr Chuba Okadigbo, Anyim Pius Anyim, Adolphus Wabara and Ken Nnamani. Their era was even the most precarious season of the nation's parliamentary presidency.
More importantly, Dave Umahi is an influential, important and credible political item within the South East APC. He has substantially entrenched the party in Ebonyi and have equally played a pivotal role, despite the existing odds, in ensuring a reasonable hold by the party in some parts of the South East geo-political zone.
However, at a period when it was almost an anathema to mention APC on account of the overbearing hold of the South East by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), governor Umahi damned the political consequences and dived into the APC pool. Of course, his initial experience wasn't quite palatable for any politician who is conscious of his political future. He bore the jeers and taunts, and forged ahead resolutely to ensure the overall success of the APC in the region.
For the job of Senate Presidency, Umahi has vital statistics going for him. He would be vying on the ticket of his experience as a cognate and transformational leader, a consummate team player and bridge-builder across the geo-political divide. The aspirant would also bring to the parliament his human resources management acumen which will help in his relationship with his colleague lawmakers and generally stabilize the National Assembly. The Ebonyi governor is noted for his dependability and trustworthiness and would always be counted upon by the new executive administration to collaborate on the Nigerian dream for a renewed hope of the disenchanted citizens.
Across the South East Zone, Umahi is being seen as the region's credible gold hope for the Senate Presidency job. Already, the apex Igbo Socio-Cultural Organization, Ohaneze Ndigbo worldwide, has thrown its weight behind the aspiration of Engr. Dave Umahi to become Nigeria's number three. So also are other top Igbo traditional, religious, professional and sundry groups.
But one thing is definitely sure: with the Ebonyi South Senator-elect as new Senate President of Nigeria, the in-coming executive government of APC is sure of a level-headed, brilliant and understanding team player who is highly experienced in leadership matters and who is ever ready to join hands with other organs of government to renew the hope of the hopeless Nigerian people. Dave Umahi, is therefore, the man you can trust!
...Celestine Okafor is the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of one of Nigeria's Online and Print Newspaper, Nigerian NewsLeader. NNL.