By Charles Igbo
Mrs Ebelechukwu Obiano, the immediate past First Lady of Anambra State, has publicly apologised for her behavior at the swearing-in ceremony of Professor Charles Soludo as the Governor of Anambra State, on March 17, 2022.
Mrs Obiano had left her seat at the ceremony, walked to Mrs Bianca Emeka Odimegwu Ojukwu who was already seated, rained abuses on her, and earned a public slap from Bianca. She, finally, after being restrained from lounging at Bianca, called her a woman of the “red light district.” That earned Mrs Obiano public condemnation for calling Mrs Ojukwu by such derogatory words.
The scandal did not stop the ceremony from continuing, but it took the shine off Soludo’s solid inauguration speech, as every discussion, days after, centered on the slapping incident.
But at a Media Parley in Awka on Wednesday, Mrs Obiano publicly apologized to Soludo, the dignitaries present, Anambra and Ndigbo as a whole for her unbecoming behavior. However, she left out her husband, Willy Obiano and her family who the incident of the day must have embarrassed. She also left out Bianca, but explained why she did not slap her back. “I remain grateful to God that I resisted and overcame the temptation to retaliate the physical assault meted out to me.”
However, the video evidence which went viral on Whatsaap, showed otherwise. It showed an enraged Mrs Obiano who was physically restrained from lounging at Bianca, and even when her husband tried to calm her down, she seemed to have shouted at him.
Mrs Obiano: “As a peaceful person that I am well known for, violence has never been in my character. I remain grateful to several elders, statesmen, friends and associates of the Obianos, as well as countless number of good people of Anambra State who called and expressed their concerns and offered wise counsel and words of comfort after the unfortunate drama ”
In the letter of, titled Public Apology which she addressed to Governor Soludo, the former Anambra First Lady wrote: “Permit me to use this medium to humbly convey to you my sincere, heartfelt and unreserved apology for the unfortunate incident between Mrs Bianca Ojukwu and myself on Thursday, March 17, 2022, the day of your inauguration as the new Executive Governor of Anambra State in which you took over from my husband, His Excellency, Chief Willie Obiano.
“The incident, to say the least, was most unnecessary, unfortunate, and I regret my action. It was an unintended action as violence is never in my character.
“Your Excellency Sir, I hold your person, your ideals, the records of your great accomplishments in public service in Nigeria and beyond, as well as their concomitant colossal impacts in public policies in highest esteem.
“Without any equivocation, your achievements as a towering intellectual of national and international repute are enduring legacies and pride for the State and Ndigbo in general.
“I will, therefore, never deliberately engage in any activity or action to disrespect you and your Government.
“All those who know me can testify that before and throughout my eight years as the First Lady of the State, I pursued peace, promoted philanthropic gestures which empowered many of our less privileged people. No excuse can, therefore, be tenable as justification for such public embarrassment, no matter the height of provocation.
Equally, I wish to extend the same apology to all the important dignitaries, the people of Anambra State, as well as the entire Ndigbo for that unintended embarrassment at the occasion.
“I want to use this opportunity to pledge that I will whole-heartedly support and pray for the Government of His Excellency, Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, to excell exceedingly, better than the immediate past Government, even as he builds on the legacy of his predecessor, my husband, His Excellency, Chief Willie Obiano, and take our State to a higher level.
“I consciously chose this medium to express my apology, goodwill, support and prayers publicly to His Excellency, Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, as a token of my full respect for him, his family, and the entire Ndigbo.”
On her Senatorial ambition, Mrs Obiano said she was responding to the overwhelming pressure from her people to run so as to continue to impact positively on their lives.
She said: “Therefore, having witnessed and been positively touched by my ever willing disposition to care for people, empower the poor and the needy, especially women and children, and particularly, widows, orphans and the destitute, my people decided that I should come and serve them better in a higher capacity.”
Recall that her husband, Willie Obiano, a few days to the expiration of his tenure in office as Governor, told Journalists that his wife would run for the Senatorial seat of Anambra North. The incumbent Senator is Princess Stella Adaeze Oduah.
