Governor Chukwuma Soludo of
Anambra State has described the presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP) and
former Anambra governor, Peter Obi as his brother, saying their differences are
“fundamentally political.”
Under Soludo’s party, the All
Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Obi governed Anambra State between 2006 and
2014. He joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2014, contesting as Atiku
Abubakar’s running mate in 2019 before clinching the LP’s presidential ticket
on May 30 in Asaba, Delta State.
Soludo’s remarks came 10 days after
his scathing opinion piece on Obi, in which he accused his
predecessor of using his presidential bid to play a game he allegedly could not
win.
However, photos surfaced of the two Anambra political titans embracing on Thursday at the
70th Birthday Thanksgiving celebration of the Catholic Bishop of Awka, Most
Rev. Paulinus Ezeokafor, held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Awka.
According to a statement by Soludo’s
press secretary, Christian Aburime, when Soludo arrived at the church, he
promptly approached Obi and hugged him as people watched with surprise.
In his remarks, Soludo stated that he
would soon meet with Obi to iron out their differences.
“Today is very special. When we came
into the service, it was the first time, my brother, Peter Obi and I are
meeting at a public event and in a Catholic Church which the two of us belong
to. I think it was divine,” the governor said.
“Let me tell you, we spoke two times,
just last night. We are brothers. You know I am not one of those politicians
that speak from two sides of the mouth. I can’t pretend. I am a politician, but
also want to make heaven. I will keep saying the truth.
“There is no rift between Obi and me
at a personal level. Nobody snatched each other’s wife. What appears to be the
rift between us is fundamentally political differences. Nothing else.”
The governor also dismissed
allegations of $28m bribery received by him to run down the LP presidential
candidate.
“For those forging blackmail and all
that, including the one they said I collected a bribe to say what I said, I
asked them to bring it so I will use it to construct roads. If Soludo is into
bribery, I would have been a multi-trillionaire now.
“On the fundamental differences we
have, we are going to meet in the next few weeks. We’ve agreed to discuss and
iron out our differences. We must get it done. Anambra is for all of us.”
While thanking God for the life of the
celebrant, Soludo pointed out that the cleric had had a great influence on him
and his government.
“You changed my thinking when you
visited my village house in 2019 and rejected the foreign wine offered to you
in the place of palm wine. Today at the Governor’s lodge, the highest wine
served there is palm wine,” he said.
“I was also humbled by the moderate
type of car you drove to my house. You told me you chose not to go with a
vehicle far above the average of those you are pastoring. I think this is
exemplary.
“When you see me drive Innoson cars,
that’s part of the inspiration I got from you. If not for security, I would
have been riding bicycles to work.
“We are taking the prudence you taught
us to the next level because when we came in, it cost us over N137m to clean
offices. Now, it costs barely N11m. I can only promise to take the message to
the world.”
Encomiums For Bishop Ezeokafor
In his goodwill message to the cleric,
the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Ekwulobia, Peter Ebere Cardinal Okpalaeke
said Bishop Ezeokafor’s footprints of committed, painstaking priestly and
episcopal ministry were written all over the Catholic faith.
The Cardinal admired the bishop’s
resilience and assured him of his prayers, wishing him many more years of
fruitful and fulfilling ministry.
Most Rev. Ezeokafor, an ambassador of
the Catholic Diocese of Awka who hails from Nanka, stated that apart from his birthday,
he was also celebrating his 15th anniversary of Episcopy.
He described it as 15 years of
excellence, dedicating a record number of churches, reconstruction of a retreat
and pastoral centre in Okpuno and the building of Peter University, Achina.
Soludo was accompanied to the
thanksgiving service by Deputy Governor Anambra State, Dr. Onyekachukwu Ibezim;
Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr. Ernest Ezeajughi; and Protocol Officer, Hon
Chinedu Nwoye.
Also at the occasion were the Speaker
of the Anambra State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Uche Okafor; Deputy Speaker, Dr. Paschal
Agbodike; APGA Senatorial Candidate for Anambra Central, Senator Uche Ekwunife;
Hon. Dozie Nwankwo; Labour Party Senatorial Candidate for Anambra Central, Sen.
Victor Umeh; Senator Victor Umeh; and Archbishop of Onitsha, Most Rev. Valerian
Okeke, among others.
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