PHOTOS: What Happens As Obi Meets Soludo

Anambra State Governor, Professor Charles Soludo, and the Labour Party Presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi were spotted at an event on Thursday, amidst an atmosphere of joy in the air.

Prof Soludo and Mr Obi were spotted embracing each other at St. Patrick’s Cathedral Awka during a thanksgiving mass for Most Rev. Paulinus Ezeokafor in celebration of his 70th birthday.

Analyzing the different shots of the duo at the event, their supporters are left amazed at how the governor of Anambra state, Prof Soludo could be such happy to meet his predecessor, Mr Peter Obi, despite the controversial statements against Obi, attributable to the Governor.

Consequently, the meeting of the two brothers draws credence to the clearly stated views of the Anambra Governor, about politics and the chances of Labour Party candidate in the upcoming election.

The statement read in part:

Soludo said in the write-up, “My attention has been drawn to some of the tirades on social media following my frank response during an interview on Channels TV regarding the ‘investments’ Mr. Peter Obi claimed to have made with Anambra State revenues.

“Sadly, several of the comments left the issue of the interview to probe or suggest motives, inferred from my response on ‘investment’ that I am opposed to Peter Obi’s ambition and, therefore, committed a ‘crime’ for which the punishment is internecine abuse and harassment, even to my family.

“Everyone knows that I don’t follow the winds or succumb to bullies or shy away from a good fight especially when weighty matters of principles and the future of the people are involved.”

Soludo said he had urged Obi to return to his former party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), to actualize his presidential bid. He added that he had always told the LP candidate to his face that he was not capable of winning the 2023 presidential election, especially, under LP, which had neither a councilor nor a local government chairman.

He stated, “For full disclosure, let me state that Peter Obi and I are not just friends, we call ourselves ‘brothers’. But we have political differences: he left APGA for PDP after his tenure as governor, while I have remained in APGA since 2013.

“During the last two governorship elections in Anambra in 2017 and 2021, he led the PDP campaigns but APGA won a landslide in both elections. By the way, in 2016, he visited and proposed that I defect to PDP and contest the 2017 election against the incumbent Willie Obiano, but I declined.

“After my victory in November 2021, he called to congratulate me, as I did to him in 2010. That is the Anambra way: we fight fiercely during campaigns but share drinks at the next social events. After all, it was the Great Zik of Africa, who taught us that in politics, there are no permanent friends or permanent enemies but only permanent interests.”

Arguing that Obi’s presidential bid would only work in favor of Tinubu, Soludo said, “Indeed, if I were Asiwaju Tinubu, I would even give Peter Obi money as someone heading one of the departments of his campaign, because Obi is making Tinubu’s pathway to victory much easier by indirectly pulling down PDP.”