Between Soludo and Obiano: Changed in Only the Twinkling of an Eye?

“Et tu, Brute” are the words that William Shakespeare put in the mouth of Julius Caesar, the great emperor of Rome. It was an exclamation of shock and despair and one of the biggest turnarounds in scripted theatre. It is also what former Anambra Governor Willie Obiano is likely chanting inside his mind.

It is not news that the ascension of former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Charles Soludo, to Anambra Governor was accompanied by a number of events. Among these events, the slap was the most prominent, especially because it happened while Soludo was being sworn in. The runner-up is the arrest of Soludo’s predecessor, Obiano.

While Soludo might not have had anything to do with Obiano’s tangle with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), experts at these things have begun saying that Soludo is not helping matters. This is after the newly instated governor revealed that the finance of Anambra State was in jeopardy.

As people who are up-to-date on the matter are well aware, Soludo declared that he inherited about N300 million from the old (Obiano’s) administration, as well as debts that were over N109 billion in value. Any mathematician can tell that the accounts do not balance and Obiano’s administration virtually handed over a mountain of debt to Soludo. At least, that is the vibe that Soludo’s declaration almost immediately after his swearing-in ceremony brings.

Here’s the question some people are asking: is it not too early for Soludo to throw Obiano under a bus? It would be a different matter if they were enemies before Soludo’s victory but they were not. One could argue that Soludo climbed to the gubernatorial position because Obiano had cleared the way for him. So, the question again: Is it not too early for Soludo to throw Obiano under a bus?

Maybe there is indeed more to the story, as some analysts have commented. Soludo himself has said that he won’t have problems with Obiano. But it is not looking like that to the rest of the world, not with Obiano with his red shorts in police detention.