Obi, Obiano, Soludo: A Meeting of Anambra’s Pasts and Present

David-Chyddy Eleke writes about the recent meeting of two past governors of Anambra State, and the present, and the conviviality that followed, despite their different political interests.

Since after his tenure on March 17, 2022, former Anambra State governor, Chief Willie Obiano has maintained a low profile. Only on few occasions has he attended public events. His predecessor, Mr Peter Obi is the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, and has been very visible in every public event, on account of his campaigns, while Obiano’s successor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo too has been everywhere in public events, especially in the state, just as he superintends the state.

There is something about the past governors and the incumbent, especially as it has to do with political ideology. At various times, each has fallen apart with the other, but the political differences between the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Obi and the governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo has almost always been permanently different from each other’s, but what is true is that the three men are the biggest names in the political space in Anambra State today.

First, in 2013, Obi was said to have singlehandedly brought back Obiano, who had then long retired and was living in Houston Texas, USA, to come and vie for a chance to succeed him. There have been stories of the sponsorship of Obiano by Obi, who worked tirelessly to instal the then APGA candidate as governor.

Not long after his swearing in, both men fell apart again, when Obi openly announced that he left behind in the coffers of the state the staggering sum of N75billion. Obiano had countered it, stating that what Obi  left was far less, and even the available ones were not cash, but what he referred to as ‘near cash’.

The back and forth of that argument had strained the relationship between both men, leading to a cold war that lasted to the very end of Obiano’s administration. To show his unhappiness with Obiano, Obi in 2017 mounted a strong campaign to change Obiano, by standing by his former Secretary to State Government (SSG),Mr Oseloka Obaze, who was the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but Obiano survived it and did a second term, and also went ahead to support a candidate of All Progressives Grand Alliance  (APGA), Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, as his replacement, while Obi supported a PDP candidate, Mr Val Ozigbo, who lost the election.

Since after the swearing in of Soludo, many had expected that a major rift will ensue between Soludo and Obiano, especially as many had warned Obiano of Soludo’s independent mindedness during the election, stating that he was not amenable to advice. So, when after the swearing in, Soludo used every opportunity to tell everyone that he met an empty coffers, it was an ‘I told you’ kind of situation, as many even predicted that Soludo will throw more punches at Obiano as time went on.

At this point, Obi’s supporters were already gloating over Soludo’s testimony of the emptiness of the state coffers he met. Many advised him to publicly declare what he met in the coffers of the state government, while many others believed that it was just a matter of time, as Soludo would soon testify against Obiano on the finances of the government. All these later came to naught, maybe because Obiano refused to challenge Soludo on the assertion that the coffers was truly empty, and Obiano was later cleared and released by the EFCC who had previously arrested him.

On Soludo and Obi, both men have never shared the same political ideology, and it was a surprise to many when on the day of the inauguration of Soludo’s government, Obi made a surprise appearance. Many even believed that both men may be closing ranks to ‘deal’ with Obiano. The surprise heightened, when of all places, Obi chose the Anambra State Government House to announce his entry into the 2023 presidential race.

The history of the relationship between both men dated far back to their school days at University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where many believe their path crossed, but in terms of secular politics, both men encountered each other in 2010, when they vied for the governorship seat of Anambra. While Obi was gunning for re-election, Soludo who was fresh from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) where he was governor, was seeking to displace him as the candidate of the PDP.

Obi had trounced Soludo in that election which held in 2010. Again in 2014, Soludo had attempted to run for the governorship seat, but didn’t make it through the primary stage, as he was disqualified as an aspirant of APGA, on the basis that he was still new in the party and failed to obtain waiver for the contest.

Since after then, Soludo has never been a supporter of Obi, so last month when Soludo took time to write a long essay discrediting Obi’s presidential bid, and even concluded that he was wasting his time in the contest, many stated that Soludo was still bitter with Obi for his many failed attempts to become governor of the state.

The meeting of Obi, Soludo and Obiano at the Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity, Onitsha, during the 90th birthday celebration of Francis Cardinal Arinze recently was like a drama.

Soludo was first to arrive at the event, then Obiano entered the arena. Though there is no known rift between both men, but they have hardly met since after Obiano handed over.

So, for a major public appearance in an event, the shout of Akpokuodike, Obiano’s traditional title name rented the air as he entered the arena. T

This signified his unwanning popularity, and love by the people as he acknowledged cheers. Onlookers stood and watched with keen interest as Soludo approached Obiano, and both men cheered each other and capped it with a hug. The faces of admiration from bystanders told more of the story.

Also, when Obi entered the arena amid huge cheers, many watched with confusion to know if Obi and Obiano will be bold enough to look each other in the face, or if Obi will also greet his state governor, Soludo who recently did a scathing piece on him.

But of course, as the governor, Prof Soludo has always said, “this is Anambra. We play politics, but on the next weekend, we all converge during social events to eat and drink together”. So, Obi, Soludo and Obiano did not only greet each other individually, all three men came together and cracked jokes, patting each others’ back and enquiring about family, campaign and governance. That, one may say is the real spirit of Anambra.