Uncertainty as SKC Ogbonnia rattles APC, ADC in Enugu

President Bola Tinubu’s ardent critic and former Presidential Aspirant in the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. SKC Ogbonnia, has been around and in the news for a while.

Ogbonnia recently resigned from the ruling party APC and not long after he joined the Africa Democratic Congress (ADC) in a grand fashion in his ward at Ugbo, Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu State.

At the defection, Ogbonnia declared President Tinubu as an existential threat and the ADC as a vehicle to rescue Nigeria. Being the first major move within the ADC as at the time since Peter Obi launched membership of the ADC in the state, the elaborate style of Ogbonnia’s declaration quickly caught the state’s attention, prompting the ruling party to launch a state mega registration exercise at Ogbonnia’s town it Ugbo. Virtually all the who is who in the Enugu APC were present.

Ever since then, tongues have been waging as per what Ogbonnia wants. Declaring for the ADC in his local ward was more intriguing because he rarely gets involved in local or state politics. Either way he goes, his involvement is bound to ignite excitement in Enugu State this political season.

Dr. Ogbonnia, a former union leader while at the NNPC, distinguished adjunct professor, and author, who earned his PhD in leadership, also doubles as the Chairman of First Texas Energy Corporation, a multinational national oil and gas company with operations in America, Europe, Asia and Africa. A maverick politician and a dogged anti corruption activist whose politics has shown independence in the struggle for a better and greater Nigeria. Ogbonnia is also a reputable philanthropist whose sphere of influence cuts across regions and tribes. His commitment for the greater good is profound.

Such pedigree, according to him, is why he abandoned a lucrative contract worth billions of dollars to become a rabid campaigner of Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressive Congress (APC) in 2013, leading to the party’s victory in 2015. He would also turn down overtures for political appointments as the APC formed a new government, electing to maintain his independence.

It is not surprising that Ogbonnia remained in the party but would become a critic of President Buhari once the former army general began to falter. By the 2019 electoral cycle he went against common conventions by running against an incumbent president Muhammadu Buhari) in the same party. Though the outcome was disastrous, it signaled his coming out party. By the 2023 electoral cycle, he became the most notable APC politician to go across party lines to endorse Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party. Not only did he describe Obi as the man whose time has come, Ogbonnia also urged President Buhari to follow him and support Peter Obi.

Since joining the ADC, Dr. Ogbonnia has remained mum on his choice of presidential candidate within the party. This adds fire to the speculation that he could be attempting to run for the president the second time. But, critics are quick to argue that an Igbo presidential candidate late in the game will be viewed as nothing but a spoiler given the popularity of Peter Obi in the South East and South-South. Yet, his recent letter to President Trump of the United States of America, accusing Tinubu of being complicit in the attack on Peter Obi in Benin City could be viewed as continued loyalty to the former Anambra governor.

Or, could he then be aspiring to become a governor or a senator? This scenario, too, remains thought provoking. Yet, while there appears to be an unwritten agreement on zoning of governor in the state, judging from his political career, Dr. Ogbonnia has not always respected such agreements. The senate could have been more ideal considering his activist background and nationwide following but close allies suggest otherwise.

Ogbonnia’s GRA residence in Enugu has been a Mecca of sorts for his teeming admirers since he came back from the United States for the Easter holidays. Those close to him seem to be ruling out a senate seat, insisting that someone like their principal needs to capitalize on his experience, connections, and capacity to make a real impact in Enugu State. They argue that the time is now, especially given that his cultural zone of Greater Awgu is yet to produce a governor in the state.

According to Comrade Donatus Okolie-Uwa, the immediate past SUG President of ESUT, “Ogbonnia is a doer, an action man, and his presence will be better felt on the ground in Enugu, especially at the state level. He has the capacity and the Youths love him…Some people just talk but do nothing. Look at the current party registration in Enugu State. Dr. Ogbonnia contributed immensely not only for Awgu LGA to emerge number one in the entire state; he did the same in his ward to come first among the wards in Enugu West. That is the kind of people we want…But nothing will be easy this time around, because the current governor has good visions and he is not a mere pushover.”

Dr. Ogbonnia has the background to succeed should he explore the senate or the governor’s mansion, but the debate continues on how far he can go to defeat an incumbent. Not many with his new party can boast of Ogbonnia’s name identification across the depth and breadth of Nigerian politics. That explains why the people in his former party, APC, and his new party, the ADC are closely watching.

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