Enugu: Sam Amadi Missed the Mark in His Critique

The issue between Amadeo Event Centre in Enugu and the Nigeria Institute of Healthcare Givers and Medical Social Work Practitioners has come to an end. Ndi Enugu and Nigerians now see that the Enugu opposition misrepresented the situation. They claimed it was an attempt by the Enugu State Government to stop the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and its presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, from holding their town hall meeting in the state capital.

Unable to challenge Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah on his performance, the opposition has resorted to spreading lies and misinformation as their only way to stay relevant. They have no real manifesto, only false claims to mislead and ruin reputations. One of the main offenders is Ada Ogbu, the factional senatorial candidate of the NDC for Enugu East Senatorial District. It is not worth responding to her desperate actions.

The real letdown in this situation is Sam Amadi, who has been my friend for over twenty years and a public intellectual who is now in politics. As someone who should know better, his comments about Governor Peter Mbah and Enugu State have left many wondering what happened to him. Was it a mistake in judgment?

I do not think so. He is a lawyer. He knows the advice of the late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa in Garba v. University of Maiduguri (1986) 1 NWLR (Pt. 18) 550. Oputa said God gave us two ears to listen to both sides. I was just a phone call away if he really wanted to hear the other side. But he chose politics over fair analysis.

His intentions became clear when he reacted to the responses from Governor Mbah’s supporters and aides. Instead of taking back some of his offensive and misleading statements, he focused on praising himself. It reminds me of the hen that, while others were shocked, continued to dig through waste with her feet and beak.

Not many understand how dangerous Amadi’s comments were. He wrapped his misleading statements in the guise of genuine concern from someone with a civil society background. This is why we need to separate Amadi the politician, who aims for the Imo State governorship in November 2027, from Amadi the public intellectual. This helps us see what drives his attacks on Mbah’s government and his views on national matters.

Only Amadi the politician could claim that Enugu State is the most politically violent state in Nigeria without any evidence. This shows how his intellectualism took a backseat to dirty politics. In reality, Nigerian security agencies and travel advisories from countries like the UK consider Enugu one of the safest states in Nigeria today.

He also said, “Every week, one person would be shot dead at a political rally in Enugu.” This is another outrageous claim with no evidence. No names, no places, no dates. Just reckless politics and a shameful display. One can only wonder how proud Amadi felt after reading his own words the next morning.

While he agrees that Mbah can support President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election, he showed his real issue with Mbah. He said Mbah was trying to end political pluralism “because of his fears that he lacks the political capacity to get Tinubu 25% in Enugu State.”

This statement has two main problems. First, there is an entitlement mentality. Let’s be clear: Obi is following his political dreams, which is his right. But his personal ambitions do not overshadow those of every Igbo person. I believe most Igbo people support the idea of an Igbo president. But we may differ in our approach.

Some think they can do it alone now, relying on personal popularity. Others believe it requires good timing and alliances with other regions. Neither approach should be condemned, as both aim for the same goal. Time will tell which group is correct.

From the colonial period, when Samuel Goomsu Ikoku defeated his father, Dr Alvan Ikoku, in 1957, to the 1983 elections between Dr Edwin Onwudiwe and Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, politicians have always had their ways. Even Ojukwu joined the NPN instead of Zik’s NPP. Ojukwu’s wife is a minister in Tinubu’s cabinet. Does that mean the Ojukwu family is anti-Igbo? Absolutely not.

I also find it hypocritical to praise Yoruba or Northern leaders who support Obi as heroes while attacking Igbo leaders who back Tinubu or Atiku Abubakar. People like Amadi forget that if everyone only supported their tribe, the South East, with the fewest registered voters (11,976,218, or 11.58% of INEC’s 103,428,715 voters), might never see a president from the region.

Amadi also spoke about Enugu’s economy. While he acknowledged the state’s rise in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) from the bottom to third place (behind Lagos and Rivers) by 2025, he got it wrong about how Enugu achieved this. He knows tax matters are for the Exclusive Legislative List, so no State Assembly can change tax laws, yet he suggested citizens were overtaxed. He claimed the IGR-to-GDP ratio did not support the large revenue.

However, the truth is the surge in IGR did not come from taxes. Out of the N406.7 billion reported in 2025, tax revenue was just N51.5bn, or 12.6%. Non-tax revenue was N355.2bn, or 87.4%. The increase was due to better fiscal management, which is why the state improved from 19th to 13th place in fiscal performance from 2023 to 2025.

Mbah has been active in using technology to stop revenue losses and corruption that take public money. The government also expanded the tax base to include more people while modernizing the revenue system to make collection efficient.

The state’s revenue has also grown through the recovery and monetization of Enugu’s unused assets, like Nigergas Limited and Hotel Presidential, along with new projects like Enugu Air, which are bringing in money.

When Amadi criticized Enugu’s GDP, he was too caught up in partisanship to see the rapid economic growth happening since 2023. Enugu, once known as a civil service state, is now a major economic center in agriculture, manufacturing, trade, tourism, and more. Relying on outdated GDP figures, he should have realized that, given the increase in economic activities and investments, Enugu’s GDP has likely improved significantly.

In conclusion, Amadi’s so-called pro-Igbo and Obi activism is driven by his personal political ambitions. After failing to get the Labour Party ticket for the 2023 Imo governorship election, he hopes a victory for Obi in January will boost his own chances. That is his right as he plans his political future. But he should stop pretending he is doing it for Obi or that he cares for Alaigbo more. He is really looking out for himself.