By Charles Igbo
An angry Dr Andy Uba has, for the first time, revealed how Professor Charles Soludo became the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.
Soludo, a former Economic Adviser to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, was upgraded to the position of the CBN boss by Obasanjo.
At the time he was appointed the CBN boss, Uba was unarguably, the most influential Special Adviser to President Obasanjo.
Even though he was the Special Adviser on Domestic Affairs, most things revolved around him. He was a key member of President Obasanjo’s kitchen cabinet. Ministers deferred to him, and so did most people who wanted patronage, including high profile business people and industrialists. He helped them by not only connecting them to President Obasanjo, but speaking on their behalf.
Apparently, Soludo was one of the beneficiaries. Of course, he was qualified to be the CBN Governor, given his rich credentials, but so were a number of other people. A whisper from Uba into the big man’s ears was the magic wand that Soludo needed. It gave him the edge. So, he got the job.
At the time, both were in same camp. Obviously in same political party. They had their different jobs cut out for them. None was looking to take over the other person’s job.
No longer.
They have since parted ways; are in different camps and different political parties. And they are looking for the same job. Both want to be the Governor of Anambra State – Uba, under APC, and Soludo, under APGA.
But Soludo seem to have forgotten who pushed him into national consciousness.
Politics has a way of making people forget good turns. It must be the case here, forcing Uba to tell the story behind Soludo’s plum job as the CBN Governor.
It started with the usual political jab. Soludo has been aggressive, hitting out left right and centre. A few days ago, he had put down a number of people contesting with him for the Governorship job. A first class scholar, he had told Anambra people that the State had gone beyond a mere school certificate holder becoming their Governor. That stung. And, another contestant, Ifeanyi Ubah, took him up.
Ubah, the Governorship candidate of the YPP, rebuked Soludo for being boastful and arrogant. And just in case Soludo had him, Ubah, in mind, he remind the former Banker that he, Ifeanyi Ubah, has since improved himself educationally. He has just passed out with a Law degree (2.2 for that matter, he added), from the Baze University, Abuja. Governance had nothing to do with the flaunting of degrees, Ubah reminded Soludo.
The instant case is a consequence of that boasting by Soludo. The Andy Uba team had told him that he was a puppet when it came to politics. Given Uba’s experience – a kitchen cabinet member during Obasanjo’s Presidency, eight years as a Senator, even a short spell as the Governor of Anambra State, Uba, his team said, is head and shoulder above all the other candidates, combined.
Soludo would not have that.
So, he lashed out at Uba, and told him that his 16 active years in Government, at the Federal level – eight years as Obasanjo’s SA on Domestic Affairs, and eight years as a Senator – were of no use to Anambra State, or any Anambra son or daughter. He called the 16 years wasted, and Uba, a failure.
It is not known what pushed Soludo into dismissing Uba’s 16 years as wasted, or Ubah as a failure. Many think that aside from Uba describing Soludo as a kindergarten politician, the unprecedented defection of six APGA House of Assembly members to the APC shook Soludo.
But Uba was stung by what he called Soludo’s misrepresentation of him and his time in Government, especially, as Soludo was a huge beneficiary of Uba’s achievements. So, he reminded Soludo, in not many words. Just the facts, at least, in his own case.
He reminded Soludo how he, Uba, was instrumental to making him the CBN Governor. He reminded him of how he came to seek help. He reminded him that without his help, nobody would have known Soludo as such, nationally.
Uba: ” You are an ungrateful man. I made you CBN Governor. If I am a failure, then you are a product of a failure.” And he knocked Soludo a little more.
He reminded him that he was not a fantastic CBN Governor. Proof: His successor, Lamido Sanusi, came and cleaned the mess Soludo left behind.
He also added, just on the side, that one of the achievements being celebrated today by the APGA Government in Anambra is his handiwork as a Senator. Anambra has just been recognized as an oil producing State, entitled to all the revenues accrueable to such States. Uba said it is his brainchild, a child he fought for, and nurtured as a Senator, which has just finally matured.
There has been no response from Soludo. He has not denied that God used Uba to make him CBN Governor. But many are surprised that Soludo could forget such a huge favor, and call Uba a failure in Government. Anything else but that.
The fight for the Anambra Governorship seat will be rough and dirty. Many agree it will be between the big three – Andy Uba, APC, Valentine Ozigbo, PDP, and Charles Soludo, APGA.
Governor Willie Obiano has promised Soludo a landslide victory. Time and circumstances will tell. No doubt.
