By Sheddy Ozoene

Gilbert Nnaji has long been a familiar figure in Enugu politics. He rose through the ranks of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)—from local government chairman to member of the House of Representatives, and eventually a two-term Senator. He has undoubtedly been part of the state’s political establishment.

Chinyeaka Ohaa, on the other hand, is a former Accountant-General of Enugu State and a retired Federal Permanent Secretary. He gained political visibility after his retirement, particularly in 2023, when he entered the governorship race on the platform of the PDP—a bid that ended midway.

Today, both men have defected from the PDP and are seeking the governorship of Enugu State under the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Their decision to quit the PDP – the platform on which they built their political careers – is as curious as their defection to the ADC. They cited the l ‘unending leadership tussle’ in the PDP, with Nnaji claiming that the party has become ‘irredeemable’. 

Their entry into the ADC has injected some energy into the contest, but it has also triggered widespread suspicion: are they genuine contenders, or strategic placeholders planted to capture and hold down the party’s ticket?That decision alone is difficult to take at face value, considering that both men are from the Nkanu bloc of Enugu East Senatorial District, Governor Peter Mbah’s vote garden and a zone that has expressed unwavering support for their son, the incumbent governor. The two are among Mbah’s closest allies and have enjoyed plum positions in the present dispensation. While Ohaa can point to his 2023 outing as evidence that he has had his eyes on the governorship, Nnaji’s case is less straightforward. 

For all his longevity within the state’s power matrix, what exactly has defined Gil Nnaji’s politics and public service? At no point in his political career has he stood out as a commanding force, either in word or deed. His trajectory has largely been that of a loyal insider – reliable and present, but rarely outstanding. One could argue that such a low-profile approach has its advantages; after all, few can boast his kind of steady rise. But the truth is that, beyond his “fine boy” image, Nnaji has yet to demonstrate the character or political weight required to mount a serious challenge of that magnitude. His past records in office hardly recommend him for the state’s highest office.

Last January, Ohaa, a close ally of Governor Peter Mbah and Chairman of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology, resigned his position and left the PDP. For someone widely regarded as a neophyte, the move and the statements attributed to him, betrayed his inexperience. 

But it follows a familiar script in Nigerian politics – one driven more by expediency rather than principle. 

There is a lingering suspicion that Nnaji and Ohaa may be playing a deeper game. In blunt terms, they could be acting as political placeholders – or even moles – within the new party. As the suspicion goes, the ranks of the party have been infiltrated by characters deployed by some powerful elements outside, to ensure the ADC does not rise to its full potential ahead of the 2027 elections. Their governorship ambitions, and the financial energy they have poured into them, only deepen that suspicion, overwhelming other popular but less endowed contestants like Chief Godwin Chiedozie Ogenyi of Eha Amufu, Isi Uzo Local Government Area.

It has also polarised supporters of the party in the state. While a few are excited about Nnaji’s political experience and Ohaa’s deep pockets as assets, many discerning voices within the party dismiss both as largely inconsequential, viewing them instead as attempts to disrupt the party’s growing strength in the state. A notable ADC leader in the state, Mr. Aniebo Nwamu cautions the members to be careful in choosing the state governorship candidate. While he would not say who is best positioned for the position, he insists the party’s fortunes in Enugu State would rise or fall depending on who flies the governorship flag.

Throughout his time in the National Assembly, first as a Representative and later as a Senator for Enugu East, Gil Nnaji was widely perceived as operating under stronger political figures. The image of a Senator carrying the bag for a Deputy Senate President has lingered. It is therefore difficult to reconcile that history with a sudden projection of gubernatorial authority.

His past electoral victories also remain contentious. In many of his elections, he appeared like the proverbial man whose palm kernels were cracked for him by benevolent gods. Under the Ebeano political wave, his local government victory was assured, as was his election to the House of Representatives in 2003 and 2007. In both 2011 and 2015, his emergence in the Enugu East Senatorial race came under controversial circumstances, notably at the expense of Chimaroke Nnamani, who was muscled out of the PDP and had to contest on the platform of the People for Democratic Change (PDC).

The legal battles that followed left a lingering perception of outcomes shaped more by influence.

Then there is his proximity to the current power structure. In 2023, as Peter Mbah sat in his living room awaiting confirmation of his electoral victory, Nnaji was among those seated beside him, helping to rearrange furniture in preparation for the celebrations that followed. Since then, their association has remained intact, underscoring his closeness to the PDP’s inner workings—even as Mbah later aligned the state with the All Progressives Congress (APC). Apart from the partial demolition of his fence, which lay on the right-of-way of the Nike-Opi road dualisation project, there has been no significant rift between him and Mbah.

Enugu politics is not a free-for-all; it is tightly managed, with succession battles often decided within entrenched structures. With Governor Mbah consolidating power, any serious contender outside that circle faces steep odds. Nnaji, known more for caution than confrontation, hardly fits the profile of a political disruptor.

So, are Nnaji and Ohaa positioning themselves for placeholder roles, or is this simply a bargaining strategy? 

Nnaji was Chairman of the Senate Committee on Communications, a strategic position in the nation’s top legislative assembly. Ohaa boasts of being a “Super Permanent Secretary,” owing largely to his postings in key ministries such as Defence and the Federal Capital Territory. The question remains: what tangible impact did they make? While Ohaa has not addressed this question, Nnaji appears to be attempting a response.

Following the announcement of his gubernatorial ambition, an impressive list of constituency projects attributed to him has surfaced. These include the payment of tuition and WAEC fees for 1,200 SS3 students across Enugu East Senatorial District in 2013; the construction of a modern classroom block and a furnished principal’s office at Comprehensive Secondary School, Nkereffi; and additional classroom projects in Amagunze.

Other cited projects include a cottage hospital at Amodu Awkunanaw, a concrete bridge across the Ojolowo River in Amafor-Ugbawka, and contributions to the establishment of the Digital Bridge Institute in Nike—an initiative also associated with Senator Ike Ekweremadu.

Nnaji and Ohaa have also deployed campaign visuals featuring themselves alongside Peter Obi. With their background, this is viewed as an opportunistic move. Beyond an attempt to tap into Obi’s popularity, what exactly do they have in common? Where do their political trajectories align?

Their opportunism doesn’t end there. Nnaji, especially, has recently taken subtle jabs at both Governor Peter Mbah and President Tinubu, suggesting that the Labour Party’s 2023 “electoral victories” at state and federal levels were stolen and would not be allowed to repeat. It is a calculated posture – an attempt to distance himself from Mbah and the APC while projecting himself as a political fighter. Such sophistry has also not convinced many.

Which brings us back to the central question: are Gilbert Nnaji and Chinyeaka Ohaa truly in the Enugu governorship race “for real,” or is this merely a step in a broader political calculation?