~ Obi won’t win 2023 presidency, Soludo insists
Anambra State governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo has insisted that he is sure that the candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Mr Peter Obi would lose the 2023 presidential election.
Soludo in a lengthy write-up he personally authored with the title: History Beckons, and I will not be Silent (Part 1), said he will not succumb to bullies.
The former CBN governor has been under intense attack for close to a week, for comments against the Labour Party, LP presidential candidate and former governor of Anambra State.
Soludo in a television show had derided Obi, by describing his investment in the state as ‘worth next to nothing’, a comment that has been described as meant to lower Obi’s towering popularity.
Soludo in the write up said: “My attention has been drawn to some of the tirades on social media following my frank response during an interview on Channels TV regarding the “investments” Mr. Peter Obi claimed to have made with Anambra state revenues.
“Sadly, several of the comments left the issue of the interview to probe or suggest motives, inferred from my response on “investment” that I am opposed to Peter Obi’s ambition and therefore committed a “crime” for which the punishment is internecine abuse and harassment even to my family.
“Everyone knows that I don’t follow the winds nor one to succumb to bullies, nor shy away from a good fight especially when weighty matters of principles and future of the people are involved.”
Soludo stated that severally, he had urged Obi to return to his former party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA to actualise his presidential bid.
He added that he had always told him in his face that he was not capable of winning the 2023 Presidential election, especially under Labour party which has neither a councillor nor a local government chairman.
According to Soludo, Obi is not just his friend, but also his brother, but despite that, they have their political differences.
“For full disclosure, let me state that Peter Obi and I are not just friends, we call ourselves “brothers”. But we have political differences: he left APGA for PDP after his tenure as Governor while I have remained in APGA since 2013.
“During the last two governorship elections in Anambra in 2017 and 2021, he led the PDP campaigns but APGA won landslide in both elections. By the way, in 2016, he visited and proposed that I defect to PDP and contest the 2017 election against the incumbent Willie Obiano, but I declined.
“After my victory in November 2021, he called to congratulate me as I did to him in 2010. That is the Anambra way: we fight fiercely during campaigns but share drinks at the next social events. After all, it was the great Zik of Africa who taught us that in politics, there are no permanent friends or permanent enemies but only permanent interests.”
Many commentators who have written against Soludo over his attack on Obi have alleged that Soludo was fighting Obi because he has ambition of becoming president after working for the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and is bent of scuttling Obi’s chances to brighten his.
