It makes sense that Anambra Governor Charles Soludo would not back former Governor Peter Obi’s bid for president. It almost seems self-serving, even envious. The two great sons of Anambra State have a secret rivalry. The contest amongst hidden peers began in 2010. When Soludo was the governor of the Nigerian Central Bank, Obi was the governor of Anambra State. At the time, they were fairly close friends.

After unsuccessfully attempting to secure a second and final term as the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from then President Umaru Yar’Adua through covert means, Soludo was promised the governorship of Anambra State by the Peoples Democratic Party-controlled authorities in Abuja at the time.

As a result, after Soludo resigned from government in 2009, Obi’s position as governor of Anambra State became his next aim. In 2010, Obi, having been elected on the basis of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, was preparing for a reelection. That was the last time their friendship remained reciprocal.

Obi was unable to understand how Soludo could pursue his career, even though the same Soludo had previously praised Obi’s leadership as his home state’s governor in a number of fora.

The late Chief Tony Anenih actually forced Soludo to run for the PDP, going against the wishes of those in charge of the party’s state organization at the time. By forcing Obi, the outgoing governor, from office, Soludo leaned on the power of the federal government to force his way into the governor’s mansion.

But as fate would have it, Yar’Adua never came back after taking a sick leave of absence in late 2009. At the moment, acting President Goodluck Jonathan was in command of Nigeria. Instead of using federal power to support Soludo in the 2010 Anambra governorship race, he made sure that a legitimate, free, and fair election was held, which Obi won.

That episode started Soludo’s deep-seated animosity toward Jonathan, which reached its zenith when he vehemently opposed Jonathan’s reelection in 2015. Conversely, it resulted in Jonathan and Peter Obi developing a friendly connection that still exists today. After Obi lost the 2010 election, Soludo congratulated him, although it didn’t seem to come from the heart. He never showed regret for that loss to Jonathan or Obi.

He switched allegiance to the APGA in 2013 and expressed interest in running for governor on its platform. But Obi and the party’s leaders, chief among them Chief Victor Umeh, wanted Anambra North to be zoned for the seat instead of Soludo, who is from Anambra South and produced the governor, Chinwoke Mbadiniuju. The persistence of Soludo in opposing the party’s leadership  resulted in his disqualification from the contest. 

As a result, Chief Willie Obiano was able to become the governor. Obi and Umeh were never pardoned by Soludo for their disqualification.

Due to the 2013 disqualification, Umeh may not win the APGA senatorial primary in 2022 when Soludo is leading the state as governor. How could the relatively unknown Dozie Nwankwo win the APGA primary over Umeh? Despite the fact that Umeh served as both Soludo’s chief returning officer and poll worker during the November 2021 governorship election, Soludo took advantage of the situation to get his revenge.

Soludo recently stated in an essay that he suggested Obi rejoin APGA and run for president under its platform. He was only half smart since he would have shared in the horrible treatment Umeh received had Obi returned to the gathering. The truth is that Obi would have suffered even more humiliation had he followed Soludo’s counsel, which is why his alleged request for Obi to return to APGA was dishonest.

Because he realizes that Obi’s chances of winning a second term as president would be compromised, Soludo is concerned that Obi may become president. No matter his chances, Soludo’s reelection in 2026 as President of Nigeria under Obi may be compared to a camel going through a needle’s eye.

Regarding Obi’s bid for president in 2023, I find myself inclined to concur with Soludo that the LP candidate is unlikely to win. Even though Obi is this generation’s best South East presidential contender, it seems unlikely that he will prevail in the upcoming election. Obi is a prospective contender.