Soludo Yet to Release Part 2 of His Statement on Peter Obi 55 Days Later
- Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, Anambra state governor, stirred the hornet's nest recently by joining the 2023 elections' conversations
- Contributing to the discourse, the governor surprisingly took on his kinsman and former Anambra governor, Peter Obi
- However, with the threats to release more from his arsenal, Soludo has gone cold after the angry reactions against his open letter
FCT, Abuja - Anambra state governor, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo stunned Nigerians on Monday, November 14, 2022, when he released a statement concerning Peter Obi's presidential ambition.
Obi, a former governor of Anambra state and Labour Party presidential candidate ahead of the 2023 general elections, have thrown many Nigerians into frenzy due to his aspiration.
Source: Getty Images
Irritated by the buzz surrounding Obi's presidential bid, Soludo wrote a stinker against the LP presidential candidate, stating that it is a waste of time.
He stated:
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“Yes, I fully understand the anger of some urban and diaspora youths and some Nigerians who are dissatisfied with the trajectory of the country or with the candidates of the major parties and wished other options.
“Not knowing much about others, some see Peter Obi as the contrast they wished for. I get the point. But this is a democracy: the minority will have their say, but the majority their way. Translating anger and social media agitation into political outcomes requires humongous work.”
The title of the full statement was History Beckons and I will not be Silent (Part 1).
Political analysts have waited for Soludo to release the second part of his letter, but to no avail. The Anambra governor seemed to have soft-pedalled on his diatribe after the massive condemnation that trailed the statement.
Many say Soludo is only jealous of Obi because of the organic support and followership the former Anambra state governor has garnered in just few weeks. Others say Soludo sees himself as the next Nigerian president of Igbo extraction, hence the attack on Obi.
Obi's response to Soludo
Obi, on Tuesday, November 15 responded to Soludo, saying he did his best as Anambra governor, and urged the economist-turned-politician to do his best in the state.
Obi made the comment at the 2022 Lagos Business School (LBS) Alumni Conference in Lagos.
He said:
“He (Soludo) remains my brother, we are very close. I remain prayerful for him. For other things which I didn’t succeed, God has given him opportunity to do it and succeed.
“So, if there is anything pending, governance doesn’t finish, people are still in government in America, so you stop where you will stop, other people will continue from there.
“He is the governor of the state; he is my senior brother, he is even more intelligent than me because he is a professor, I am a trader, so he knows more and will be able to do things better than I am doing it.
“I have done my little own as a trader, now the professor is there he will do his own as a professor, the schools I didn’t roof he will roof them, that’s how government goes.”
The former governor said he left the office with the savings of N75 billion, adding that his administration saved 50 million dollars each in Access, Diamond and Fidelity banks with an interest rate of 6.5%.
Why Soludo should release part 2 of his article
Azuka Onwuka, a popular public affairs commentator, recently stated that Soludo should release the second part of the letter for posterity sake.
According to him, Soludo's article is a distraction on the core issues that prompted the governor's reaction in the first place.
His words:
“It is very important for the integrity of Soludo that he completes the letter, so as to have the opportunity to eventually answer the question he sets out to answer in the first place. It is demeaning for an exceptionally intelligent academic of his standing to go off-point.
“The kernel of the debate is Soludo’s claim on Channels TV that the investment made by Obi in Anambra state is worth next to nothing. That elicited reactions from people.
“In response to the reactions of people to his comment, Soludo chose to write a personally-signed 4,025-word opinion entitled, “History beckons and I will not be silent (Part 1).
“But curiously, from the beginning to the end of the response, Soludo failed to discuss the most important issue at stake: How much is the investment made by Peter Obi for Anambra state? In which institutions did Obi invest?
“What was clear by Soludo’s response was that Peter Obi truly saved money and made some investments for Anambra state. Soludo’s point of divergence is that the investment is currently of little or no value.
“But rather than respond to that, Soludo veered off to issues completely unrelated to the kernel of the matter, pouring out his disdain towards Obi’s political ambition.
“Then he went on an economic lecture of why it is economically unwise to save money in a state when there are still poor people in the state.”
Letter to Chukwuma Soludo
In an open letter to Soludo, another public affairs commentator, Amanze Obi, berated the governor for his stance.
Obi noted that Soludo has failed woefully as the governor of Anambra since March 17, 2022.
He stated:
“The substance or lack of it of your diatribe against Obi is even more disappointing. In your long essay, you created the impression that you are the only Igbo man that is thinking. In your omniscience, you have already seen the end of the election.
“Peter Obi, you said, cannot win in more than four states. You said the rating could even be worse before the elections in February, 2023.
“My dear Chukwuma , you are certainly entitled to your clairvoyance. But if I were you, I will not engage in this poor show. The bias is too telling not to be noticed even by the most undiscerning.
“You have, by your attack on Obi and your Igbo kinsmen, put the wrong foot forward. My advice to you is to retrace your steps, purge yourself of prejudices and bad blood and remember that you have a job to do in Anambra state.”
Peter Obi: 'OBIdient' movement driven by the masses, says Umeh
Meanwhile, the Anambra Central Senatorial candidate of LP in the forthcoming 2023 elections, Senator Victor Umeh, has declared that the 'OBIdient' movement is more prominent than Obi.
He said the campaign is bigger than Obi himself because the masses drive it.
Umeh added that Obi is very influential, stressing that the LP presidential candidate will get support across the country.
Errant Soludo subtly endorses Atiku in Awka
Not fazed by the criticisms he received from 'OBIdeients', an errant Solduo subtly endorsed the presidential aspiration of Atiku Abubakar, Peoples Democratic Party presidential aspirant.
During the rally on Thursday, December 15, 2023, the former vice president visited Governor Soludo in Awka.
Speaking during the courtesy call, Soludo described Atiku as 'one of the two front-line presidential candidates.'
Source: Legit.ng
