MARCH RENDEZVOUS: TRACKING GOVERNOR PETER MBAH’S QUIET REVOLUTION IN ENUGU

– Prince Ekene Nwanjoku.

There is a way the progress of Governor Peter Mbah’s work in Enugu is announcing itself without noise. The “Tomorrow is Here” reality just keeps unfolding until even the most sceptical observer or the most ardent opposition is forced to admit that something is shifting.

In the month of March, as in every other day of his life as Enugu’s leader, we saw a man who seemed less interested in the optics of leadership and more invested in its substance. If there is a pattern to Peter Mbah’s governance, it is this: connect the dots, close the gaps, and move, always move, towards a clearly defined future.

For many Nigerians, politics has become a tired script, very divisive and often exhausting. But now and then, some moments remind us what politics can be when it is done with a good intention and a common objective.

At Okpara Square, during the State Congress of the All Progressives Congress, something quietly significant happened. There was no chaos. No bitter contest. No fragmentation. Instead, there was order. It was there that a new state executive emerged: Dr Martin Chukwunweike, Hon. Chukwudi Nnadozie, and a full team. Their emergence was through a process that felt less like a struggle for power and more like a transfer of responsibility. That difference is important to point out. Because when a political family learns to organise itself without tearing itself apart, it sends a message beyond party lines. It says: “We understand the assignment.”

Governor Mbah captured it well in his statement that “this is not a marriage of convenience. It is something deeper: a shared vision and a shared destination.”

It is the same clarity that has defined the South East APC’s congresses, from ward to zonal to national level, each one reinforcing a sense of cohesion that many did not expect.

In a region often described through the lens of political disconnection, this emerging discipline among political leaders is too good to escape my commendation. Because, as the Governor seems to understand, politics is not just about winning elections. It is about positioning for a better future.

Perhaps one of the most striking things Governor Mbah said in March was uttered in his conversation with the City Boy Movement led by Obinna Iyiegbu, popularly known as Obi Cubana. The conversation was about Ndi Igbo. About history. About where the South East stands today in Nigeria’s political structure.

There was a time when the Igbo political mind was sharper, calculating, and more strategic. Alliances were not based on reactive emotion; they were deliberate and thoughtful. But somewhere along the line, something changed. Fragmentation and sentiment crept in. And gradually, the region began to drift away from the very tables where decisions are made. Governor Mbah does not dress up this situation, and he does not pretend it is fine for us as Igbos. He believes the popular philosophy that ‘if you are not at the table, you are on the menu.’

Truly, the message of returning to the centre of things nationally is a message that may not please everyone, but it is one that cannot be ignored. That’s why if there is one word that keeps reappearing in Governor Mbah’s work, it is connection. Connection to the centre. Connection between sectors. Connection between policy and people. It explains a lot.

Take the growing alignment between Enugu State and the Federal Government under Bola Ahmed Tinubu. For some, it is political. For Mbah, it is practical and strategic. Because when that connection is right, things begin to move. Approvals come through. Projects meant for Ndi Enugu gain extra momentum. And several other opportunities will open up.

Take, for instance, the concessioning of the international airport and cargo terminal, the push for railway completion, the emergence of the South East Development Commission, the advancing gas pipeline, etc. These wins we have had in Enugu are not abstract wins. They are structural shifts, and they are happening because someone is paying attention to how power actually works.

Another significant win for Enugu in the month of March was the issuing of the Air Operator Certificate for Enugu Air. It is a regulatory milestone issued by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and received by the state’s Commissioner for Transport, Dr Obi Ozor, who handed it over to the Governor.

This certification will create enormous access to transportation in Enugu State. An airline does not just move passengers. It moves possibilities. It shortens distances between people and opportunity, between local businesses and global markets, and between the ambitions of people and the execution of those ambitions. And when you place that within the broader vision, which is to make Enugu a hub for investment, tourism, and regional commerce, you begin to see the logic. Because nothing stands alone. Everything links with another for maximum productivity.

Furthermore, there is a different dimension to power which Governor Peter Mbah has managed to bring to Enugu’s governance system. It is the power of narrative. Three questions often determine the power of narrative. Who tells your story? How is it told? And where is it heard?

In March, Governor Mbah took Enugu’s story to London as a deliberate act of positioning. Alongside President Tinubu and other national figures, he engaged with investors and stakeholders. Particularly, at the UK–Nigeria Project Agglomeration Compact Dinner, held at the House of Lords, he spoke powerfully about Enugu. About reforms. About opportunities in our state. Energy. Infrastructure. Healthcare. Agriculture. Technology. Education. Housing. Tourism.

As the Chief marketer of the image of the state, the governor introduced Enugu to the world for the state to be discovered for credible investments.

However, for all the global engagements, the real test of leadership, in my opinion, is always local. It is in places like Ogbaku, in Awgu Local Government Area, where there are no pomp and pageantry and no grand stages.

Governor Mbah walked through Awgu, listened to the people, observed the projects and found out by himself that the systems are beginning to work. Multiple facilities are powered by solar. Readily available water supply. Health workers were also present and actively engaged.

He went to rather witness the impact of his administration in that side of the state. And surprisingly to everyone, the Governor made a bigger move for the approval of 2,250 health workers. This promise is tied to his vision of zero preventable deaths in Enugu, especially among women and children.

Beyond healthcare, the Governor has provided roads of over 55 kilometres across Awgu. This has resulted in a reduction in travel time, the opening up of markets, and easier movements of goods and services.

There is something else worth noting. Governor Mbah does not appear to be in a hurry to impress. There is no excessive showmanship. No constant need to announce every move.

Instead, there is a quiet confidence he has consistently portrayed and a sense that the work he does will speak. And increasingly, it does. You see it in the completed and ongoing projects scattered across the states. You hear it in the testimonies of ordinary Enugu people. It’s a gradual change, of course. But the reality cannot be denied.

Of a truth, Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah is a true Apostle of political ecumenism.

Ndi Enugu,
Tomorrow is Here!