The wife of Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo has rejected claims by former governor Peter Obi that he and his wife are godparents to the Soludo children, describing the assertion as inaccurate.
In a statement issued through her media aide, Dan Ezeigwe, First Lady Dr. Nonye Soludo said the clarification was necessary after a video of Obi’s remarks circulated widely and prompted public enquiries.
“We hereby state clearly that the claim, as presented, is false. For the avoidance of doubt, Mr. Peter Obi is not a godfather to any of the children of Professor Chukwuma and Dr. Nonye Soludo,” she said.
She outlined the actual relationships: “Dr. Nonye Soludo, First Lady of Anambra State, is the confirmation godmother to Peter Obi’s daughter. Mrs. Margaret Obi, wife of Mr. Peter Obi, is the baptismal godmother to one of Professor Chukwuma Soludo’s daughters. Neither Mr. Obi nor Professor Soludo has served as a godparent to the other’s children.”
Obi had made the disputed comment on Friday while addressing the Nigerian Guild of Editors in Enugu. Seeking to downplay suggestions of a personal feud with Soludo, he said: “People might not know. My wife and I are godparents to Soludo’s children. Yes, we are that close. So we are not quarrelling, and we will never quarrel.”
Mrs Soludo described the two families’ relationship as cordial but stressed the need for accuracy. “It is possible that Mr. Peter Obi simply misspoke in the course of making his remarks. However, given the widespread circulation of the video and the enquiries it has generated, it is important that the record be set straight.”
The exchange comes amid a broader dispute between Obi and the Soludo administration over debts allegedly inherited from previous governments, including claims about outstanding loans from Obi’s tenure as governor from 2006 to 2014.
