JUST as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) concluded its congress in Enugu State with the election of Professor Uchenna Augustine Akubue as chairman, a defeated “faction” of the party went into overdrive on social media and even petitioned the ICPC. The orchestrated vilification of Prof. Akubue would have been less amusing if these self-styled political actors had chosen another weapon of character assassination. But why “forgery” in the case of a scholar and global technocrat who rendered 25 years of distinguished service to the United Nations?
Comrade Chika Idoko and his associates must have set out to weaponize ignorance, but theirs is a glaring exhibition of intellectual bankruptcy. The ADC congress has ended in defeat of those whose relevance has long dissipated! Idoko’s attempts to diminish a mountain through baseless litigation and poorly crafted press statements are futile.
Could the petitioner Idoko make the degrees and the achievements of his sponsors whom we know well public? They barely secured first degrees from “sorting” institutions around. To impugn the professorial standing of Akubue is not just political desperation; it is a damning indictment of the provincialism and intellectual poverty of his traducers.
Let’s Introduce The Akubue They Don’t Know
Medical Expert
He possesses a medical degree, MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery), from the University of Nigeria, and is, by training and practice, a medical expert. His academic distinction extends beyond medicine: he holds five master’s degrees from globally and locally recognized schools, including a Master’s in Public Health from the University of Manchester, United Kingdom, and four others from reputable institutions, including UNN.
His scholarship is reinforced by over 30 professional certifications and multiple distinctions in education, including certification in surveillance and epidemiological parasitology from the Maerivoaxky Institute in Russia.
Above all, Prof. Akubue holds two doctoral degrees — a PhD in Public Health and a PhD in Health Policy and Economics — from globally recognized institutions including Atlantic International University and the Maerivoaxky Institute of Parasitology in Russia, with specializations in Epidemiology, Healthcare Planning, and Health Financing.
Acknowledged Professor
Akubue is an acknowledged professor with over 40 peer-reviewed publications and significant global academic visibility, verifiable on Google Scholar and ResearchGate.
As a staff member of the World Health Organization, he has received extensive medical training and garnered the gravitas that defines academic excellence. Prof. Akubue is also the founder of two tertiary health institutions, where he serves as chancellor and provides strategic leadership. These institutions have produced over 300 health professionals including nurses, public health officers, and community health officers.
This is an academic who has supervised and produced over 25 PhD graduates and 60 master’s degree graduates. He is a researcher and academic mentor in highly respected global universities including Texila American University, Charisma University, and The University of America, in addition to supervising students in his own institutions. His erudition and professional capacity have, over time, proven superlative and aligned with global standards.
The notion that a professional whose career was shaped in the exacting corridors of international diplomacy and rigorous academic scholarship must conform to the parochial interpretations of local clerical standards to merit the title “Professor” is both risible and intellectually untenable.
Within the global academic community, the designation “Professor” connotes proven mastery of specialized knowledge, sustained contributions to human advancement, and unquestionable intellectual authority. These are benchmarks Prof. Akubue attained decades ago, long before his accusers acquired even a rudimentary grasp of civic engagement.
Serial Entrepreneur, Boardroom Politician
His excellence transcends the confines of academia into the dynamic arenas of entrepreneurship and boardroom politics. He is the president of the Bright Value Group, with strategic interests spanning education and hospitality. As chairman and CEO of several companies, he is the visionary founder of Obinocare Global and the Kubus Group, enterprises commanding over a billion naira share turnover in health services and pharmaceuticals.
A proven turnaround strategist, Prof. Akubue is one of the principal redeemers of the once-mismanaged Aku Diewa Community Bank, restoring institutional integrity where others failed. As a health management consultant of established repute, his erudition and professional capacity have consistently proven superlative, aligning seamlessly with global best practices.
Drowning Man Syndrome
What we observe is the archetypal “drowning man” syndrome. Having lost the democratic mandate, this clique now flails in the turbid waters of its own irrelevance. Their petition to the ICPC is a vacuous instrument of intimidation, a familiar diversionary tactic deployed to mask their manifest inability to command genuine grassroots support.
To insinuate that a man of 25 years’ UN pedigree would need to impersonate academic credentials merely exposes the petitioners’ own insecurities. Similarly, the gratuitous attempt to drag the revered elder statesman, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, into this undignified altercation betrays a poverty of ideas and a failure to contest on the plane of policy and vision.
The ADC in Enugu State has entered an era of sophisticated, globally informed leadership. The days of political brigandage masquerading as stakeholder activism are over. Those confounded by the nuances of international academic attainment should seek tutelage rather than resort to frivolous petitions. Prof. Akubue’s transition from global service to party leadership is an asset to Enugu State — a vital bridge between local political imperatives and international best practices.
Rather than help to build ADC, Idoko and his sponsors remain entrenched in bitterness and contrived scandals. By contrast, the ADC under the credible and intellectually grounded leadership of Prof. Akubue advances steadily. Integrity is measured not by the decibel of one’s protests, but by the substance of one’s contributions. By that standard, Idoko’s faction stands discredited, while the professor remains an unshaken pillar of excellence.
- Ugwu and Agu, media advisers to the Enugu ADC, contributed this piece from Enugu, Nigeria.