Andy Uba

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Andy Uba

| image =

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption =

| office = Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

| term_start = May 2011

| term_end = May 2019

| predecessor = Ikechukwu Obiorah

| successor = Ifeanyi Ubah

| constituency = Anambra South Senatorial District

| birth_name = Emmanuel Nnamdi Uba

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1958|12|14|df=y}}

| birth_place = Enugu, Eastern Region, British Nigeria (now Enugu, Enugu State, Nigeria)

| death_date =

| death_place =

| party = All Progressives Congress (APC)

}}

Emmanuel Nnamdi Uba {{IPAc-en||audio=Ig-Emmanuel Nnamdi Uba.ogg}} (born 14 December 1958), is a Nigerian politician who served as Senator for the Anambra South Senatorial District of Anambra State 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 a month later. He defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress 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, and attended the Boys High School in Awkunanaw.{{Cite web |title=WAEC Confirms Senator Andy Uba Forged Secondary School Certificate {{!}} Sahara Reporters |url=https://saharareporters.com/2017/03/31/waec-confirms-senator-andy-uba-forged-secondary-school-certificate |access-date=2023-06-11 |website=saharareporters.com}} His parents originated from Uga in the Aguata LGA of Anambra State.

According to some sources,{{which|date=December 2018}}

.{{Cite web|url=https://www.hrhgeology.com/geological_training/drilling-operations-courses/introduction-drilling-1?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIl9_Mj5G95wIVC7DtCh1Sqw0bEAAYAiAAEgIWzfD_BwE|title=Introduction to Drilling Course {{!}} HRH Geology|website=www.hrhgeology.com|access-date=2020-02-06}}{{citation needed|date=November 2018}} However, Concordia University 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 1999 elections, he returned to Nigeria and was appointed Special Assistant on Special Duties and Domestic Affairs to President Olusegun Obasanjo.

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.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}}

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 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.{{cite news

|first=Camillus |last= Eboh |title=Close Obasanjo ally loses governor's seat in Nigeria

|url=http://news.oneindia.in/2007/06/14/close-obasanjo-ally-loses-governors-seat-in-nigeria-1181846501.html

|publisher=OneIndia News

|date= 2007-06-14

|access-date=2011-06-15}}

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,{{cite web

|url=http://www.modernghana.com/news/250326/1/andy-uba-picks-gubernatorial-ticket-from-labor-par.html

|work=Modern Ghana

|title=Andy Uba Picks Gubernatorial Ticket From Labor Party, Makes Peace With Chris Uba

|date=20 Nov 2009

|access-date=2011-06-15}}

after the Labour party had invited him to make the move.{{cite web

|url=http://www.punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art200912054224117

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002104003/http://www.punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art200912054224117

|url-status=usurped

|archive-date=2 October 2011

|title=As Labour Party woos Andy Uba

|author=John Ameh

|date=5 Dec 2009

|work=The Punch

|access-date=2011-06-15

}}

The party's leadership said they "believed that he will deliver on the ideals and objectives of the party".{{cite web

|url=http://allafrica.com/stories/200912100519.html

|title=Anambra - Why We Fielded Andy Uba - Labour Party

|work=Daily Trust

|author=Abbas Jimoh

|date=9 December 2009

|access-date=2011-06-15}}

Speaking about his decision to switch parties, on 31 December 2009 Uba said "Labour is my natural political home".{{cite web

|url = http://thenationonlineng.net/web2/articles/30751/1/Why-I-opted-for-Labour-Party-by-Andy-Uba/Page1.html

|title = Why I opted for Labour Party, by Andy Uba

|date = 2009-12-31

|work = The Nation (Nigeria)

|access-date = 2011-06-15

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100101144339/http://thenationonlineng.net/web2/articles/30751/1/Why-I-opted-for-Labour-Party-by-Andy-Uba/Page1.html

|archive-date = 2010-01-01

}}

In the February 2010 Anambra State gubernatorial elections, Uba came in third.{{cite web

|url=http://www.pointblanknews.com/News/os4235.html

|date=2010-11-28

|work=PointBlank News

|title=Andy Uba eyes senate seat

|access-date=2011-06-15}}

=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 (APGA) with 43,798 and the incumbent senator Ikechukwu Obiorah 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 (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.{{cite web

|url=http://www.okeyndibe.com/titles/2006-12-13-Fraud-Incorporated.pdf

|title=Fraud Incorporated

|date=13 December 2006

|author=Okey Ndibe

|access-date=2011-06-15

|url-status=dead

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003150248/http://www.okeyndibe.com/titles/2006-12-13-Fraud-Incorporated.pdf

|archive-date=2011-10-03

}}

Reporters claim that both Concordia and California State University said that although Uba enrolled, he did not graduate from neither of the universities.{{cite web

|url=http://news2.onlinenigeria.com/news/general/96101-andy-ubas-fake-credentials-resurface-at-anambra-election-tribunal.html

|title=Andy Uba's Fake Credentials Resurface At Anambra Election Tribunal

|work=Online Nigeria

|date=2011-05-23

|access-date=2011-06-15

|url-status=dead

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728122907/http://news2.onlinenigeria.com/news/general/96101-andy-ubas-fake-credentials-resurface-at-anambra-election-tribunal.html

|archive-date=2011-07-28

}}

Personal life

He is married to Pastor Faith Vedelago of Faith Miracle Center Abuja and they have four children together.{{Cite web|url=http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/222309-anambra-senator-andy-uba-dumps-pdp-apc.html|title = Anambra Senator, Andy Uba, dumps PDP for APC | Premium Times Nigeria|date = February 2017}}

{{Cite web|url=http://www.ivory-ng.com/andy-uba-steps-alleged-second-wife/|title = Andy Uba steps out with alleged second 'wife'|date = 8 December 2017}}