By Opeyemi Adelakun
Former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, has described his relationship with Governor Chukwuma Soludo as one based on mutual respect, saying he and his wife are godparents to Soludo’s children.
Obi spoke on Friday at the 22nd All Nigeria Editors Conference organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors in Enugu.
The conference was held under the theme, “The Ballot, the Media and the Task of Keeping Democracy Alive,” with the sub-theme, “When Lies Look Real: Detecting and Debunking AI Misinformation Before, During, and After Elections.”
Addressing questions about his relationship with Soludo, Obi said he considered the Anambra governor his elder brother despite the fact that the two were not close friends.
“Soludo is my respected elder brother,” Obi said.
He added that his family also had a personal connection with the governor’s family, saying, “My wife and I are Soludo’s children’s godparents.”
Obi, however, acknowledged that he and Soludo were not friends.
“Yes, we are not close. We are not friends. And we will never be friends,” he said.
Despite the political differences between them, Obi said he would not insult or attack Soludo because he understood the responsibilities attached to occupying public office.
“I have no reason to do that. They are governed. They need peace. They need time,” he said.
The former governor also said he would not abuse any governor or government official, including those at the federal level.
“I cannot abuse any governor. I cannot abuse anybody in government. I don’t wish to abuse people even in federal government. I have never abused anybody,” he said.
Obi stressed that public officials should be subjected to scrutiny based on their records, qualifications and statements.
“For people to get involved, question us. Question us based on our background. Question us based on what we say. Question us on our qualifications and everything,” he said.
According to him, political leaders must also respond whenever questions or allegations are raised about them, rather than allowing such claims to go unanswered.
“Anything they say about you, you must come and explain. And don’t do it to any person. Come and explain,” Obi said.
He added that voters were ultimately responsible for choosing political leaders and therefore deserved sufficient information about the people seeking public office.
“Because we are not voting for your wife. We are not voting for your children. We are not voting for your uncle or people representing you. We are voting for you,” he said.
Obi also used the conference to speak about healthcare, arguing that inadequate access to food and primary healthcare was contributing to the reliance of poor Nigerians on religious intervention when they fall sick.
He criticised what he described as inadequate investment in healthcare infrastructure and urged the media to continue questioning government spending and priorities.
The former governor said Nigeria needed to strengthen its healthcare system so that citizens would not have to travel abroad for medical treatment and training.
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