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Anambra Governor Charles Soludo’s lack of support for the presidential ambition of former Governor Peter Obi is understandable. It borders on self-interest, and perhaps envy. There’s a concealed rivalry between the two illustrious sons of Anambra State. The hidden peer rivalry dates back to 2010. Obi was the governor of Anambra State when Soludo was the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria. They were relatively close friends during that period.
When Soludo clandestinely lobbied for a second and final term as the CBN governor from then President Umaru Yar’Adua, but unfortunately couldn’t get it, he was promised the position of Anambra State Governor by the then powers-that-be in Abuja which was controlled by the Peoples Democratic Party.
Therefore, when Soludo left office in 2009, his next target was Obi’s job as the governor of Anambra State. Obi, who was elected on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, was getting set for his second term in 2010. The period marked the departure of their mutual friendship till date.
Obi couldn’t fathom or comprehend how Soludo could come after his job whereas the same Soludo had in various fora, commended Obi’s performance as the governor of his home state.
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Soludo was literally imposed as the PDP candidate by the late Chief Tony Anenih against the wishes of those controlling the structure of the party in the state at the time. Soludo relied on federal might to railroad him into the government house as governor by muzzling the incumbent governor, Obi, out of office.
However, fate played a fast one on him as Yar’Adua left the country for sick leave in late 2009 and never returned. Acting President Goodluck Jonathan was in charge of Nigeria at the time. He refused to deploy federal might to assist Soludo in the 2010 governorship election in Anambra, but rather ensured that a free, fair and credible election was conducted which Obi won.
That incident marked the beginning of Soludo’s morbid hatred for Jonathan which culminated in his strong opposition to Jonathan’s re-election in 2015. On the other hand, it brought about a cordial friendship between Jonathan and Peter Obi till date. Soludo congratulated Obi after losing the 2010 election, but it was apparently not from his heart. He never forgave Jonathan and Obi for that loss.
In 2013, he defected to APGA and showed interest to contest for the governorship election on its platform. However, Obi and the leaders of the party which included Chief Victor Umeh wanted the seat to be zoned to Anambra North against Soludo who is from Anambra South that had produced Chinwoke Mbadiniuju as governor. Soludo’s insistence on defying the party’s leadership resulted in his disqualification from the contest. That paved the way for Chief Willie Obiano to emerge as the governor. Soludo never forgave Obi and Umeh for that disqualification.
That Umeh could lose the APGA senatorial primary election in 2022 under the leadership of Soludo as governor was as a result of the 2013 disqualification. How could Umeh lose APGA primary to a relatively unknown Dozie Nwankwo? Soludo used the opportunity to extract his pound of flesh from Umeh even when the same Umeh was his chief returning officer or polling agent during the November 2021 governorship election.
In Soludo’s recent article, he wrote that he advised Obi to return to APGA and contest the presidency on its platform. He was being clever by half because if Obi had returned to the party, the ugly treatment meted to Umeh would have been his portion. The truth of the matter is that Soludo’s purported request for Obi to return to APGA was deceitful because Obi would have seen worse humiliation if he had paid heed to such advice.
Soludo is apprehensive of Obi becoming President because he knows that if that happens, his second term ambition could be jeopardised. With Obi as Nigeria’s President, Soludo’s re-election in 2026 may be likened to a camel passing through the eye of the needle no matter his performance in the first term.
On Obi’s presidential quest for 2023, I am tempted to agree with Soludo that the LP presidential candidate will not win the election. Granted that Obi is the most acceptable presidential candidate from the South-East in this generation, but he is not likely to win the forthcoming presidential election. Obi is a candidate for the future.
Ifeanyi Maduako
