WHEN MATURITY MEETS EXPERIENCE: THEO UBANI AND HON. BENJAMIN KALU IN A PREDICTABLE INVISIBLE SYNERGY

 

WHEN MATURITY MEETS EXPERIENCE: THEO UBANI AND HON. BENJAMIN KALU IN A PREDICTABLE INVISIBLE  SYNERGY

 By

Prof. Victor Ukaogo 

The APC presidential primaries scheduled  for the 6 and 8 of June 2022 will mark a watershed of sort as it will draw the curtain on the preliminary intraparty electoral contestation in Nigeria on the one hand and foreclose further bickering that may have arisen in the run up to the primaries in Bende on the other. 

 For Abia state, High chief Ikechi Emenike deservedly muscled his way to the gubernatorial ticket of APC and in Bende federal constituency,  a new political force surfaced in the horizon laying claim to the exalted seat occupied  by Hon. Benjamin Kalu. This new force is by name Engineer Theo Onyekwere Ubani, a UK trained multitasking specialist. 

Many naysayers were already checking their time and becoming impatient of waiting  to witness a titanic and acidic  battle between the two. And practitioners of evil (they are many in Bende) began to hold night vigil in anticipation  of a mayhem they believe was in the offing.

But were they disappointed? Yes, they were but it was purely on account of the character, convictions and content of these great Bende sons, Ben and Theo. How, you may ask? Truth be told, both men are highly educated and exposed. Indeed for the Oracle of the parliament as Ben Kalu is fondly called, his person need not delay us here as his texture of politics is well known. He is an epitome of behavioral elegance schooled in the best tradition of diplomacy, experience, humility and accommodation.  

The relatively  new Theo is a well baked technocrat with the knowledge of a better tomorrow. Calm, calculated,  focused and a deliberate and sustained  mien of deep wisdom. He took counsel, quietly understood the thinking of the party and refused to bicker unlike many folks that in the manner of the biblical Nichodemus packaged parallel  primaries and naming themselves as elected candidates. 

Litigations are on now in the aftermath of the primaries in many parties and in many states but Theo, the new kid on Bende political block is not looking that way. It  is tempting  to put forward that he has the mind and sure-footedness of a Benjamin Kalu who at every electoral  loss before 2019 refused to  approach the courts for any manner of redress; or a Prof. Victor Ukaogo who after being asked to step down for other candidates still joined them in their campaigns. I personally  see this selflessness in Engineer Theo. I can predict for free that Theo will join Benjamin Kalu in his campaigns. He is a good man just like Hon. Ben Kalu who I believe is  a creative thinker and very willing to reciprocate good doings of men and women  around him. Should my predictions here unbundle as reality,  we may just be seeing a worthy  successor as years roll by.

As political campaigns commence,  I  suspect a SYNERGY between the two to the good of Bende.  When experience meets maturity, development unfurls and the people benefits. As at the time of doing this writeup, unconfirmed snippets would want us believe that these two great Bende sons have resumed their friendship temporarily  halted by their  aspirations.

Did someone just shudder? Alright,  you never knew that long before this political  phase both Ben and Theo were good friends and so when some of their supporters  clash,  it reveals the plebeian content  of the Nigerian  political  followership. Followers' overzealousness contribute  to  political friction in the polity and so when words such as 'rabble rouser' is used to describe  gentlemen such as Ben or Theo, much is left to be desired.

This brings me to the gubernatorial candidate of our party, my employer and the Pro-Chancellor of the highly reputable  UNN, High Chief Ikechi Emenike and the role he played in the brotherly bonding of Ben and Theo. Leadership is not and cannot be bought in the market; it's innate. While the political frenzy was building up in Bende between these two brothers,  the elders watched and even aided the feud. It took the intervention of our High Chief to put off the smouldering fire. Without this, the peace in Bende federal constituency would have been disrupted and in its place anarchy and doom. 

For those unaware of this narrative,  appreciation and gratitude should be extended to High Chief Emenike for not allowing the canterkerous disruption of peace and relations in Bende as was the case in 2019 between  Benjamin Kalu and Chima Anyaso. 

Is it not worrisome that many people without the barest inkling of who Ikechi Emenike is will preside over judgement over his capability and Leadership skills? When will  Abia people be wise enough to take their destiny into their own hands? Abia should be tired of electing folks with baggages into office and struggle to remove them thereafter. This is sensible because giving the monkey a bunch of banana is easy enough to accomplish but retrieving it is entirely herculean. When scoundrels hound the personality of Ikechi Emenike,  it shows the little essence of their intelligence and intellectual makeup. 

We should appreciate this deep thinker of a leader for doing well in fusing the energy of these two Bende sons together.  We must also appreciate the maturity of Theo and the experience of Ben in the run up to the 2022 general elections. These are good men and good words can help to build up ties. A synergy between the two might just be good for Bende at the long run for while in other zones,  acrimony reign supreme, in Bende,  cooperation manifest to drive the  electoral  process. I make bold to predict that both men will be together on the campaign podium in no distant time. And in the event this happens,  Bende may have started to behold a worthy successor of a performing once-in-a-lifetime legislator. But like they say, time will tell; will time really  tell here? Your guess might just be as good as mine.