By Law Mefor and Valentine Obienyem
Law: An Igbo proverb goes thus: One who fetches ant-infested firewood invites the visits by lizards. It is so demeaning that, in fact, Mr Peter Obi is the one provoking Prof Chukwuma Charles Soludo, CFR, the incumbent Governor of Anambra State, and turns to cry wolf when Soludo punches multiply harder in return. Soludo, though he hardly starts a fight, is not the type to back off, and he takes no prisoners either.
Val: Could the writer clarify precisely how Mr Peter Obi provoked Governor Soludo? What exactly is the casus belli? Can we see the so-called “devastating punches”? When one throws punches that ultimately boomerang, is that really admirable? In a fight, Soludo rarely backs down—so isn’t this approach rather childish? At his age, framing political disagreements in terms of “fighting,” whether literal or metaphorical, seems incongruous. And yet, Nigerians are expected to applaud it.
Law: Prof. Soludo is now the Governor of Anambra State, after being an international award-winning Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, some 20 years ago! As it stands, Peter Obi, a former governor, needs Soludo more than Soludo needs him. Those goading Obi to think and act as if this is not the case will soon regain perspective and will see what disservice they have done him and the collective, a bigger picture that ought to enjoy the premium. Soludo can never be sacrificed, and those who wish it as a precondition for peace are seriously mistaken.
Val: Both of them need each other, if only on account of the gregarious nature of the human person. Do not imitate your boss by speaking as though you wield omnipotence. “Goading” who, exactly? Why manufacture imaginary scenarios and then behave as though they were real?
Was it Obi—or the people you claim were “goading him”—who pushed Soludo to make those uncomplimentary remarks about Obi’s savings? Who compelled him to write that lengthy public letter? Who urged him to dismiss Obi outright among the presidential contenders? These were entirely his own volitional actions. I challenge you to show me even a single instance where Obi directed a personal attack or disparaging comment at Soludo.
Law: Soludo has proved that Anambra is in excellent hands, and the appreciative people of the state massively endorsed him before the election and raised billions of naira for his campaign. It has never happened in the history of elections in Anambra State, perhaps in the entire country. On November 8, the people thronged out and voted for the performing governor and returned him by 73%. Soludo won in 21 of the 21 local governments in the state.
Val: In terms of the governance of Anambra State, the question respectful people keep asking is: did Obi contest? Why leave out comparing Soludo and those who contested with him, and instead compare him with Obi, who did not contest? Honestly, this defies reason. Why do you people compete with a man who is busy minding his own business?
Law: There is indisputable evidence that Soludo has shown sufficient goodwill to Peter Obi. For starters, it was Governor Soludo who allowed Peter Obi to use the Anambra State Government House to announce his presidential ambition. Soludo offered Obi the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) platform to launch his presidential quest.
Val: kindly note that he did not use the platform to announce his presidential ambition. Check your facts. He merely met with some stakeholders there. Now, between the time he allowed him to use the State Government House for a meeting – which, we must note, is not Soludo’s private property – and the time he dismissed him as not being among the contestants, what went wrong? Can you not see the inner recesses of his mind?
Law: But what did Soludo get in return? A plot to unseat him as the Governor of Anambra State, following Obi’s run in the 2023 Presidential Election as the candidate of the Labour Party (LP). After that superficial success, and believing that the Labour Party would take over the Anambra State House of Assembly, the party set its sights on unseating Soludo as the Governor of Anambra State, even before going to the polls. Call it a dastardly coup plot in civilian garb gone awry!
Val: Can someone explain what exactly he is trying to convey here? I must admit, whatever point he thinks he is making is far from clear. Peter Obi plotting against him? That is not merely a misunderstanding—it is the very height of delusion. It calls to mind the ancient story of King Saul, a ruler once blessed with promise but later consumed by paranoia and imagined persecution. Tormented by his own insecurities, Saul convinced himself that David—who had shown him nothing but loyalty—was plotting against him. In that fog of fear, he created enemies where none existed and set himself on a path of needless self-destruction. When a leader begins to imagine conspirators behind every shadow, the danger is not the phantom enemies he invents, but the ruin he brings upon himself by fighting battles that exist only in his mind.
Law: Against the background of the protest votes which propelled the 2023 Presidential Election, APGA and Soludo had to go into a herculean battle to deliver their party. It should be borne in mind the projection that the Labour Party would take over the Anambra State House of Assembly, via producing the majority and going into alliance with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to produce the Speaker and his Deputy.
Val: Who else had known about this plan? I certainly hadn’t. Even if it had been planned, wasn’t it part of the political arithmetic Dr. Okadigbo had talked about? In politics, PDP or APGA can form alliance with Labur party. No point!
Law: What perfidy! Soludo had demonstrated consummate grace in handling Obi’s shenanigans. No amount of political legerdemain from Obi’s camp can whitewash Obi’s underhand plots against Soludo. The one piece of advice that Obi should bear in mind goes thus: When one is in a hole, the best counsel is to stop digging.
Val: There he goes again, speaking of imaginary plots! Who can even interpret what he is trying to say here? It brings to mind the striking story of an ancient king so consumed by fear and suspicion that he lined the walls of his porticoes with glass and polished metal, turning them into mirrors. He wanted to see everything happening behind him, terrified that imaginary enemies were lurking in the shadows. This king, rather than governing with calm judgment, lived in perpetual dread of plots that existed only in his mind. His days were spent watching reflections, not realities; anticipating treachery, not administering justice. In the end, the danger was never from those “behind him,” but from the restless anxieties within him. Such is the tragic fate of any leader who, instead of confronting facts, chooses to inhabit a world constructed entirely by his fears.
Law: Peter Obi has always made desperate attempts to control Anambra State, forgetting that Soludo, a better tactician and strategic planner, is the sitting governor. Obi’s allusion to being in the Champions League cadre while others are local players is neither here nor there. Any wannabe can make all types of claims.
Val: Let’s assume it was a slip of the tongue by Obi. Very well – let’s state it plainly: Obi plays in the Presidential team, not in the Governor’s team. Has this cooled tempers? Between the two, who is the better tactician? For the sake of peace, we award Soludo the title of “Master Tactician of the Century.” It was easy to grant this to him because Obini is not competing with anyone. In his last interaction with the press, he prayed to God to grant Soludo greater heights, if it would make him happy, humble, and mindful of the mercies of God.
Law: He said he was the Governor of Anambra State, 13 years ago. It is perfectly in the Obi character not to acknowledge that Soludo had been the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and won awards at the global level. Soludo has justly been lionised as the best Central Bank Governor in Africa and beyond. He broke records by winning the awards back-to-back. If Peter Obi needs education on this matter, he should endeavour to read the book, “The Power of One Man: How the Soludo-Engineered Consolidation Transformed Nigerian Banks to Global Players”, written by Dr Ray Echebiri.
Val: This paragraph provides insight into the workings of both minds. When Obi mentioned that he had been Governor 13 years ago, his intention was not to draw a comparison but to emphasise that he is no longer contesting and cannot run for Governor again. Yet, the paragraph attempts to create a comparison between the two, revealing the unhealthy preoccupation of those burdened by ego. Has Obi ever failed to acknowledge Soludo as a former Central Bank Governor? Why refer Mr. Peter Obi to Soludo when he has yet to finish reading over 30 books already written about him—unsolicited? While Prof. Okunna, myself, Esin Osuji, and Dan Onwukwe were editing published articles on Obi, we faced the challenge of choice from an unimaginable number of pieces. Yet Obi does not measure life by what others write about him, based merely on their perception. As a philosopher, he knows and understands himself. This is precisely what the Professor needs now: self-understanding, which will enable him to act with clarity, humility, and discernment, rather than being swayed by external opinions or the compulsion to compete unnecessarily.
Law: At home, Soludo was awarded the 3rd highest national honour – CFR – while Peter Obi is still on CON. Those who say Soludo envies Peter Obi should know that they’re not in the same league. As they say in popular parlance, “Shoe get size!”
Val: Ordinarily, this is not the language of Dr. Law. Obi referred to the “league” in which he plays to make clear that he has no intention of contesting the governorship. Yet here, it is invoked merely as a boast—a pride so misplaced that it echoes the very arrogance that caused Lucifer to fall from heaven. Obi is not addicted to titles or awards. Even those few that are conferred upon him, he often declines to use. To date, over ten universities have sought to grant him honorary degrees, yet he has refused them all. He has said that whenever he wishes to be called a doctor, he will return to the classroom and earn it through study. He lives simply and humbly, recognising that whatever he is said to have achieved comes solely by the grace of God. He refuses to abuse that grace by seeking accolades for vanity’s sake, understanding that true accomplishment lies in faithful service, moral integrity, and a life lived in accordance with conscience and principle.
Law: Peter Obi should just keep to his lane. If this provocation continues, then the real comparison becomes inevitable, and all gloves will be removed.
Val: They should at least remember that Dr. Law was a journalism lecturer; certain expressions, such as this one, are “infra dignitatem.” You may go ahead and remove all gloves, but be assured that in doing so, you will end up boxing with your own shadows. Even if the master insisted, Dr. Law would have held his ground. Remember who you are: a journalism lecturer, expected to be at home with the ethics and decorum of the profession. Can I even imagine Prof. Okunna writing in such a manner?
Law: Obi cannot claim he was not involved in the Anambra State Election when his party’s candidate, Dr George Moghalu of the Labour Party, consistently used him as a poster boy. It is on record that Peter Obi made a video pleading with his Agulu people to vote for the Labour Party and shun Soludo and APGA. Of course, his people comprehensively ignored him and voted for APGA and Soludo. It’s noteworthy that Agulu has four wards, and Peter Obi, despite his efforts, lost all four. There can’t be a truer test of who is on the ground and in charge of Anambra State.
Val: Was it Prof. Soludo that Labour should have used for the campaign? I am not aware of any video as described—please kindly post it. As for losing, did he even contest? The real test would have been in 2010 when both of them actually contested—what happened then? How can the Law we know compare the height of two gentlemen standing on entirely different pedestals?
Law: It’s in Obi’s self-enlightened interest to let Soludo be, lest there be a case of “onye-ibi” and “onye-ite” in full undress. A word, as they say, is enough for the wise.
Val: It is something contrary to enlightenment that would make anybody suggest Obi is after Soludo. Desperation can warp perception, making people think and act wildly. Consider the story of Mithridates, the so-called “Poison King,” who, fearing assassination by toxins, spent his life carefully testing variety of poisons present in his realm on himself to build immunity against their possible use in him.
Law: No jobless politician should be allowed to distract Governor Soludo, aka Charlie Nwamgbafor, the celebrated Oluatuegwu, that is, “Man Wey No Dey Fear Work”, from being busy doing his duties as the Solution Master, who won re-election via 21/21, to wit, winning in all the 21 local government areas of Anambra State, which Peter Obi never achieved in all his struggles!
Val: Does this not sound childish? This coin did not originally come from Law’s mint. I am sure he will say to himself: “ I told Oga to remove this, and he refused”. Obi is not in competition with anybody and has often said that he is not desperate to become president.
Law: Those who are discerning can see in plain sight who, between the two Igbo sons, is being clever by half. Thankfully, for the wise, it’s never too late to regain perspective. There are, at least, two former governors of Anambra State – Chief Willie Obiano and Dr Chris Ngige – whose conducts and relations with Governor Soludo can help Mr Peter Obi keep to his lane.
Val: You see how someone stirs up a fight, much like a woman who wields the franchise of her tongue against her husband, while wisdom advises him to remain silent. She goes to him, shakes him violently, and says, “Why don’t you respond as if I am making noise?” We do not need your noise, please! Show us a single speech by Obi directed against Soludo. You wanted a fight by all possible means, and the man refuses. We speak of equality among equals, such that he will not leave the Presidential team to start meddling with the Gubernatorial team. Is this not wisdom defined?
*Dr Law Mefor, PhD, is the Anambra State Commissioner for Information.
Val. Obienyem is Obi’s Media Adviser
