From Sleeping In A Shop To Seeking The Senate: Ebuka Onunkwo Narrates His Graceful Rise, Explains Why He Wants Top Job

By Chibuzo Obidike

“I need a platform that would permit me to make laws that will create an enabling environment for many companies to thrive.”

That statement from Dr. Ebuka Onunkwo, Chairman and CEO of Seahorse Lubricant Industries Limited and NDC Senatorial Candidate for Anambra South, is setting the tone for a different kind of political conversation.

Speaking during a facility tour with members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Anambra State Council, Onunkwo opened up about his humble beginnings, revealing that he once slept on a mat inside a small shop in Cotonou during his early years in business.

He said he made a personal covenant with God that if he became successful, he would use his resources to uplift the less privileged.

According to him, that promise later translated into scholarships for indigent students, employment opportunities and other interventions within his community and local government.

But now, Onunkwo says he wants to take that vision beyond philanthropy.

His argument is simple: businesses need more than individual support. They need laws, policies and an enabling environment to survive and grow.

And that, he says, is why he is seeking a platform in the Senate.

“Anambra State is a state predominantly known for business, trading and agriculture. So I need that platform.”

This is no longer just a story about a businessman.

It is a declaration of political ambition from a man who says he wants to move from creating opportunities with his own resources to helping create the policies that shape opportunities for millions.