L-R: Peter Obi and Charles Soludo
Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, has said he and former governor Peter Obi remain close friends despite their political differences.
Soludo made the clarification during an interview with BBC News Igbo on Monday, where he addressed recent disagreements between his administration and Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
The governor said the relationship between their families remained cordial, stressing that their political disagreements had not affected their personal relationship.
“Peter Obi and I are good friends. Our two families are on good terms,” Soludo said.
He added that although they had different political interests, both men understood that politics should not define their personal relationship.
“When it comes to politics, give me mine, give him his. It’s politics that is being done,” he added.
Soludo said Obi’s decision to support another candidate during the last Anambra governorship election did not affect their relationship, noting that he eventually secured victory.
“He has someone he thinks should be the governor of Anambra. I am also listening. He supported the person he wanted. But I won by the grace of God,” he said.
Obi governed Anambra State for two terms between March 2006 and March 2014 under the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). Soludo also disclosed that he personally invited Obi to join APGA in March 2022 to contest the 2023 presidential election.
According to him, the invitation was made at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, with the broader objective of mobilising the Igbo people politically. “It was me myself who invited him to APGA so he could run, early March 2022 at Nnamdi Azikiwe University,” he said.
The governor, however, explained that he later withdrew his support for Obi’s presidential ambition because he believed his candidacy could weaken the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and improve the electoral chances of President Bola Tinubu.
“In fact, I also wrote to him that his participation would take away a lot of votes from the PDP and make it easier for Tinubu to win,” Soludo said.
He further argued that even a united opposition might struggle to defeat an incumbent administration, noting that political alliances alone do not guarantee electoral victory. Soludo’s comments come amid a disagreement between the Anambra State Government and Obi over the state’s debt profile.
The controversy followed a September 14 statement by the state Commissioner for Finance, Izuchukwu Okafor, who said the state was still repaying loans obtained by previous administrations, including those of Obi and his successor, Willie Obiano.
Obi rejected the claim, insisting that he left no outstanding debts when he left office. He also maintained that his administration did not owe salaries, pensions or contractors and left N2.1 billion in the state’s ecological fund.
However, the state government subsequently disputed his account, alleging that Obi left $123.77 million in debt. Amid the exchange, Obi said there was no personal disagreement between him and Soludo, adding that he and his wife were godparents to the governor’s children.
Soludo’s latest remarks appear to reaffirm his position that the disagreement between them is political rather than personal.
