Anambra State Governor, Professor Charles Soludo on Thursday, blamed everybody but himself for the very untidy relationship between him and the Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, which became public a few days ago.
The bad relationship was blown open by Soludo, who in a long essay, accused Obi of deceiving Ndigbo when he knows he would never win the Presidential race. He said come 2023, Obi may not even take the third position. And, he said much more. Before this, he had, in an interview with Channels Television, dismissed Obi’s investment for the State, when Obi was Governor, as no use. He said they were inconsequential. Taken on by Obi’s followers, Soludo wrote the long essay where he waved Obi away from the Presidential race and called him a joker.
Soludo’s inexplicable essay attracted outrage, especially, from the Igbo race and Obi’s fans. Not a few people disparaged him for deliberately de-marketing Obi.
However, on Thursday, November 24, when the two men met for the first time since Soludo’s essay, they hugged like long lost brothers.
Both had met at St Patrick’s Cathedral Awka at a Mass to mark the 70th birthday of Most Revd. Paulinus Ezeokafor. Obi was seated before Soludo entered. As he sat down, he noticed Obi and quickly went to him, greeted him and welcomed him to Awka. They hugged.
Speaking on their reaction to each other in the Church, Soludo said people were surprised that both of them hugged. He disclosed that they spoke twice the previous night -Wednesday. Soludo blamed everybody but himself for the rift between him and Obi, and said some people tried to blow it out of proportion. He then revealed that the two of them would meet to iron things out.
The Governor, also, denied receiving the sum of $28m bribe to throw obstacles at Obi’s Presidential ambition.
He described their meeting in a Church as divine, and the day as a special day.
