Soludo Opens Up on Relationship With Peter Obi, Says Political Rivalry Cannot Destroy Their Friendship

• Reveals strong family ties despite political disagreements

 

BY FRONTLINE REPORTERS

Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, has dismissed suggestions of a personal feud between him and former Governor Peter Obi, declaring that their longstanding friendship and close family ties remain intact despite their sharply contrasting political positions.

Soludo insisted that political disagreements should never be mistaken for personal hostility, stressing that his relationship with Obi extends beyond partisan interests and electoral contests.

The governor made the clarification during an interview with BBC News Igbo on Monday, where he addressed lingering controversies surrounding his relationship with the former Labour Party presidential candidate, the 2023 presidential election and the prospects of opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“Peter Obi and I are good friends. Our two families are on good terms,” Soludo declared, explaining that their families share longstanding religious and personal bonds.

He acknowledged that while their friendship remains cordial, both men are entitled to pursue different political ambitions and support candidates of their choice.

“But when it comes to politics, give me mine, give him his. It’s politics that is being done,” he said.

Soludo explained that their political differences became particularly evident during the Anambra governorship election, when Obi supported a candidate other than himself.

According to the governor, such political choices are legitimate expressions of democratic freedom and should not undermine personal relationships.

“He has someone he thinks should be the governor of Anambra. I am also listening. He supported the person he wanted. But I won by the grace of God,” Soludo stated.

Family Ties Amid Political Tensions

The governor’s remarks come against the backdrop of recurring public disagreements between the two prominent Anambra political figures, particularly over Obi’s record as governor and the financial condition of the state when he left office in 2014.

Their relationship attracted renewed attention in September following conflicting public accounts of the godparent roles played by members of both families.

Obi had maintained that he and his wife shared godparent responsibilities with Soludo’s family, citing the relationship as evidence of their enduring personal ties.

However, Daniel Ezeigwe, media aide to Anambra First Lady Nonye Soludo, subsequently clarified the arrangement.

According to Ezeigwe, Mrs Soludo served as confirmation godmother to Obi’s daughter, while Obi’s wife, Margaret, was the baptismal godmother to one of Soludo’s daughters.

Despite the controversy, Soludo’s latest comments suggest that the relationship between the families remains cordial, irrespective of the political disagreements involving the two former political allies.

Soludo Revisits Controversial 2022 Article on Obi

The governor also revisited his widely debated November 2022 article, History Beckons and I Will Not Be Silent, which generated considerable controversy after he questioned Obi’s prospects in the 2023 presidential election.

The publication, which attracted criticism from Obi’s supporters, was widely interpreted as a prediction that the former Anambra governor would not emerge victorious in the presidential contest.

However, Soludo sought to explain the political calculations behind his position, arguing that his central concern was the fragmentation of opposition votes.

He maintained that Obi’s emergence as a presidential candidate outside the Peoples Democratic Party would weaken the opposition and improve the electoral chances of the All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“In fact, I also wrote to him that his participation would take away a lot of votes from the PDP and make it easier for Tinubu to win,” Soludo explained.

His latest clarification comes despite the explicit doubts he expressed about Obi’s chances of victory in the 2022 article.

2027: Opposition Unity Not Enough to Defeat Tinubu — Soludo

Turning to the 2027 presidential election, Soludo warned that merely bringing opposition parties together would not automatically translate into victory against an incumbent administration.

He argued that defeating a sitting president requires more than political alliances, emphasising the importance of strategic planning, broad-based mobilisation and a coherent political direction.

“Even if you have a united opposition, it still does not guarantee you get to defeat an incumbent. But that is even the starting point,” he said.

The governor’s remarks underscore the challenges facing opposition political forces as discussions intensify over possible alliances ahead of the next presidential election.

How I Invited Obi to Contest Presidency Under APGA

In another revelation, Soludo disclosed that he personally approached Obi in March 2022 with an invitation to pursue his presidential ambition on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance.

According to him, the discussion took place at Nnamdi Azikiwe University and initially centred on the broader question of Igbo political mobilisation and national relevance.

“It was me myself who invited him to APGA so he could run, early March 2022 at Nnamdi Azikiwe University,” Soludo recalled.

He explained that the conversation was not simply about securing the presidency but about developing a coordinated political strategy capable of strengthening the influence of the Igbo people within Nigeria’s political structure.

“Before he ran for that office, it wasn’t about him running and winning, but how we are going to mobilise the Igbo people,” he said.

Soludo maintained that meaningful political progress requires consultation, consensus-building and strategic alliances rather than an exclusive focus on capturing political power.

“We deliberate first before going into an alliance before seeking power. You don’t just get power in Nigeria like that,” he added.

The governor’s comments offer fresh insight into his political relationship with Obi, particularly the circumstances surrounding the former governor’s 2023 presidential ambition.

Although both men continue to differ on political strategy, electoral calculations and governance issues, Soludo maintained that such disagreements have not destroyed their personal friendship.

His message was that political competition and enduring personal relationships need not be mutually exclusive, even in Nigeria’s intensely contested political environment.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

 

 

ADVERTISEMENTS: