Governor Soludo talks friendship with Peter Obi, shares 2027 election views

Governor Charles Soludo from Anambra State has said he and Peter Obi, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, are good friends, despite their political differences and current issues.

Mr Soludo, who has had a long-standing disagreement with Mr Obi, shared this in an interview with BBC Igbo on Monday.

“Peter Obi and I are big friends. Even his family and my family are close.

“His wife is my child’s baptismal godmother while my wife is his child’s confirmation godmother,” he said.

The governor, who spoke mostly in Igbo, emphasized that the disagreement with the NDC candidate was only political.

“When we talk of our political differences, everyone has their interests. We’re doing politics,” he explained.

Mr Soludo, a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, remembered that during the 2021 Anambra governorship election, when he was the APGA candidate, Mr Obi had supported Oselake Obaze, who was then the PDP candidate.

“He (Obi) had a different vision. He had someone he believed was the right person to become governor of Anambra State.

“I was also seeking to be governor then, but he supported who he wanted as governor. However, I prevailed by the grace of God. And I don’t hold it against him,” he stated.

In late 2022, Mr Soludo predicted that Mr Obi, who was then the Labour Party presidential candidate, would not win the 2023 presidential election. He said this was due to a “lack of political structure” and the weak voting power of the South-east, where Mr Obi is from.

In his BBC interview, the Anambra governor reaffirmed his earlier statements.

He indicated it would be much tougher for anyone to beat President Bola Tinubu in the coming 2027 election because of the advantage that comes with being in power.

Mr Tinubu, who defeated Mr Obi in the 2023 election, is looking to be re-elected under the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“If you didn’t disarm a warrior while he was lying down, you wouldn’t do so while he was standing,” Mr Soludo said. He suggested that Mr Obi would find it difficult to beat Mr Tinubu now, especially after failing to do so in 2023 when the president was not in power.

“Even if he has united opposition, it does not guarantee that he will defeat an incumbent (President Tinubu),” he added.

The Anambra governor pointed out that the low voting strength of the South-east means Mr Obi needs to work with other regions to have a chance at becoming president.

“I was the one who asked him to come to pick the APGA presidential ticket in early March 2022.

“That was before he contested for president in 2023. But asking him to pick the party’s ticket didn’t mean he was going to win. It was for us to use the avenue to unite Igbo people.

“When we are united, you can then go into alliance with other regions to seek power,” he explained.