Emmanuel Nnamdi Uba (born 14 December 1958), is a
Nigerian
Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...
politician who served as Senator for the
Anambra South Senatorial District
Anambra South Senatorial District in Anambra State, Nigeria is one of the three Senatorial Districts in the State. It has seven local governments areas. These are: Aguata(300PU), Ekwusigo(175PU), Ihiala(278PU), Nnewi North(198PU), Nnewi south(295P ...
of
Anambra State
Anambra State is a Nigerian state, located in the southeastern region of the country. The state was created on August 27, 1991. Anambra state is bounded by Delta State to the west, Imo State to the south, Enugu State to the east and Kogi St ...
from 2011 to 2019. Uba also won the
2007 Anambra State gubernatorial election on the platform of the
People's Democratic Party but was declared unduly elected by the
Supreme Court of Nigeria
The Supreme Court of Nigeria (SCN) is the highest court in Nigeria, and is located in the Central District, Abuja, in what is known as the Three Arms Zone, so called due to the proximity of the offices of the Presidential Complex, the National As ...
a month later.
[ He defected to the ruling ]All Progressives Congress
The All Progressives Congress (APC) is one of the two major contemporary political parties in Nigeria, along with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Founded on 6 February 2013 from a merger of Nigeria's three largest opposition parties, t ...
in February 2017, the leadership crises engulfing the former ruling party PDP may have motivated his decision.
Early career
Uba was born on 14 December 1958 in Enugu
Enugu ( ; ) is the capital city of Enugu State in Nigeria. It is located in southeastern part of Nigeria. The city had a population of 820,000 according to the 2022 Nigerian census. The name ''Enugu'' is derived from the two Igbo words ''Én ...
, and attended the Boys High School in Awkunanaw. His parents originated from Uga in the Aguata
Aguata is a Local Government Area in Anambra State in Nigeria, with its headquarters in Aguata (location of the headquarters office buildings), a major part of which falls into Aguluezechukwu, while the smallest part falls within the commercial ...
LGA of Anambra State.
According to some sources,
. However, Concordia University
Concordia University (French: ''Université Concordia'') is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the th ...
have denied that Emmanuel Nnamdi Uba graduated from the institution. They admitted that their records indicate that a certain Emmanuel Uba was admitted to the institution but never completed the program.
Presidential aide
Following the elections, he returned to Nigeria and was appointed Special Assistant on Special Duties and Domestic Affairs to President Olusegun Obasanjo
Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo, , ( ; yo, Olúṣẹ́gun Ọbásanjọ́ ; born 5 March 1937) is a Nigerian political and military leader who served as Nigeria's head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its pre ...
.[
In a September 2003 visit by Obasanjo to the United States, Uba was described as the President's right-hand man, and also the gatekeeper for people who wished to talk to the President.
]
Elected politician
In 2007, Uba contested in the PDP primaries for the Anambra State governorship election, and was elected in the 14 April 2007 elections.[
However, the former governor ]Peter Obi
Peter Gregory Obi (born 19 July 1961) is a Nigerian businessman and politician who served as governor of Anambra from March to November 2006, February to May 2007, and from June 2007 to March 2014. In May 2022, he became the Labour Party can ...
challenged the election, saying that because the courts had only accepted that Obi had won the April 2003 elections on 15 March 2006, he still had three more years of his four-year term to serve. The courts accepted this argument and on 14 June 2007 nullified Andy Uba's election.
In November 2009 it was reported that Uba was planning to run for the delayed Anambra State gubernatorial elections in February 2010 on the Labour Party platform,
after the Labour party had invited him to make the move.
The party's leadership said they "believed that he will deliver on the ideals and objectives of the party".
Speaking about his decision to switch parties, on 31 December 2009 Uba said "Labour is my natural political home".
In the February 2010 Anambra State gubernatorial elections, Uba came in third.
2011 Senate election
Uba returned to the PDP and was nominated as PDP candidate for Anambra South Senatorial district in the April 2011 elections.
He won with 63,316 votes, ahead of Chukwmaeze Nzeribe of the All Progressives Grand Alliance
The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) is a political party in Nigeria.
Electoral history
At the legislative elections held on 12 April 2003, the party won 1.4% of popular votes and 2 of 360 seats in the House of Representatives of Nigeri ...
(APGA) with 43,798 and the incumbent senator Ikechukwu Obiorah
Ikechukwu J. Obiorah (born 29 August 1961) was elected Senator for the Anambra South Senatorial District of Anambra State, Nigeria, taking office on 29 May 2007. He is a member of the People's Democratic Party (PDP).
Obiorah attended Obafemi ...
of the Accord party with 24,724.
Uba's election was challenged by Senator Obiora, the Accord candidate, who claimed that Uba had forged his West African School Certificate
The West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) is a type of standardized test in West Africa. Students who pass the exam receive a certificate confirming their graduation from secondary education. It is administered by the West Af ...
(WASC) and had not obtained any of the university degrees that he claimed.[
The story of allegedly faked degrees dates back to a story written by two investigative reporters and published by The News in December 2006.
Reporters claim that both Concordia and California State University said that although Uba enrolled, he did not graduate from neither of the universities.][
]
Personal life
He is married to Pastor Faith Vedelago of Faith Miracle Center Abuja and they have four children together.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Uba, Emmanuel Nnamdi
Living people
1958 births
People from Anambra State
Peoples Democratic Party members of the Senate (Nigeria)
Igbo politicians