On the 19th of August 2022, the presidential standard-bearer of the Labour Party and former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Gregory Obi paid a courtesy visit to the Governor of Anambra State, Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo. After that meeting, Governor Soludo released the following statement:
“Today after my engagement with the YESS family, I received in audience my brother and Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, in a private meeting at the Governor’s lodge, Amawbia. Mr. Obi is one of the two illustrious Sons of our dear State gunning to be the President of Nigeria. The other is Justice Peter Umeadi of our great Party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). As the Governor of these great Sons of the State, I am proud of this moment in history, and wish them the best of luck.”
The statement has long generated a lot of backlash from members of the Obedient Movement who felt that Soludo more than any other governor should be in the forefront of supporting the presidential aspiration of his brother. Part of the statement that specifically offended Obi’s supporters is this: “Mr. Obi is one of the two illustrious Sons of our dear State gunning to be the President of Nigeria. The other is Justice Peter Umeadi of our great Party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).”
Many have queried why Governor Soludo of all people would choose to promote a completely unknown APGA candidate on the occasion of Obi’s visit. The contention is that even if Soludo didn’t want to openly support Obi for obvious reasons, he should at least have refrained from talking about the APGA candidate who was not present at the meeting as doing so has vitiated the impact his meeting with Obi would have had.
The bottom-line is that Governor Soludo is not enthusiastic about Obi’s candidature and many who felt he should be are trying to find out why.
Why Soludo is not Supporting Peter Obi
A number of reasons have been proposed to explain Soludo’s reluctance about Obi’s presidential ambition. I looked at some of these reasons here.
The Pull Him down Syndrome of Igbo Politicians
Those who promote this speculation argue that Soludo’s refusal to endorse Obi has nothing to do with personal grudges. Rather, it should be seen as part of an established tradition among Igbo politicians to pull down their tribe’s men on issues of national politics. The cases of how the former governor of old Enugu State, Chief JimNwobodo scuttled Ekwueme’s chances in 1999, and how Igbo delegates voted in the just concluded APC and PDP presidential primaries are given as clear instantiations of this pull him down attitude among Igbo politicians.
Nevertheless, why divisiveness in the rank of Igbo politicians cannot be denied, it has to be emphasized that division among politicians of the same ethnic group is not a trademark of Igbo politicians alone. In 1999, Olu Falae ran against Mathew Olusegun Obasanjo, a fellow Yoruba man. Also, in 2007, Mohammadu Buhari, the current president contested against Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, a fellow Fulani and a man from Katsina State like himself. Therefore, it is difficult to believe that Igbo politicians are wired in a special way to pull each other down. It is safer to say that human beings, Igbo politicians included, are self-interested beings who pursue their self-interests when they feel it is safer and more profitable to do so.
Another Presidential Candidate is Sponsoring Soludo
Another conspiracy theory has it that a certain presidential candidate who doesn’t want Obi to have a field day with Southeast voters is sponsoring Igbo politicians to at least refrain from supporting Obi’s candidacy publicly. The speculation is that pressure from this presidential candidate is the reason Igbo politicians especially Southeast governors are either mute or cold towards Obi’s presidential ambition.
This assumption might hold some water if it is recalled that while Prof Pat Utomi from Delta State was stepping down for Peter Obi in the presidential primary of the Labour Party, an Igbo man from Anambra State, Mr. Calistus Okafor was heading to court to challenge Obi’s candidacy. Okafor was only forced to withdraw his case when his life came under several threats by those who felt betrayed by his high level of insensitivity. Thus, while it is possible that Igbo politicians are being sponsored by an opposition presidential candidate to oppose Obi’s candidacy, what is not clear is whether Prof Charles Chukwuma Soludo is one of these hired spoilers.
Obi’s Presidency will Destroy Soludo’s Chances of Ruling Nigeria
Another reason bandied to explain Prof. Soludo’s cold feet towards Obi’s presidential bid is that Obi’s success will destroy Soludo’s chances of ever ruling Nigeria. The explanation is that Soludo is nursing the ambition of ruling Nigeria after his eight years as governor but this will not happen if Obi’s presidential ambition succeeds because by the controversial zoning arrangement, it will be crazy for any Igbo man to contemplate succeeding an Igbo president. This assumption sounds quite plausible but its authenticity would be determined by what Governor Soludo says and does when the real campaign for the 2023 presidential election kicks off.
Soludo will Endorse Obi at the Appropriate Time
An additional reason given as to why Prof. Soludo has not come out openly to endorse Peter Obi’s candidacy is that it is still too early to so. The contention is that apart from the governors of APC and PDP who have openly endorsed the presidential candidates of their parties as ways of showing party loyalty, no governor in Nigeria has endorsed Mr. Obi. Even Governors Obaseki of Edo State and Ortom of Benue State who on more than one occasion spoke favourably of the Obedient Movement have not come out to endorse Obi.
Therefore, while one may not dismiss all the conspiracy theories on why Soludo is not yet supporting Obi’s presidential aspiration, it appears safer to assume that the uncertainty of the Obi’s Movement is at the root of the hesitation. The Movement at this stage is still like a whirlwind with no certain direction or like a tsunami, which no one knows how long it will last. Will the tsunami fissile away and leave its supporters out in the cold? No sitting governor will like to risk being on the losing side of the presidential election. On the other hand, will the tornado that has become the Obi’s movement maintain its current momentum and eventually sail to Aso Rock? There is still plenty of time to find out. Whatever happens, the Obedient Movement is just a child of circumstance and like every wise politician, Soludo doesn’t want to leap without looking. Therefore, many governors, including the governor of Anambra State will come onboard when they are convinced that the Obedient Movement has come to stay. For now, they will all continue to sit on the fence, but do you blame them?
