Soludo’s Wife Rejects Claim That Obi Is Godfather Of Their Son
The wife of Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, Mrs Nonye Soludo, has denied a claim by the presidential candidate of Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, that he and his wife are godparents to some of Soludo’s children.
Mrs Soludo said Obi is not the godfather of any of the governor’s children, describing the claim as false.
The clarification was contained in a statement issued by the Media Assistant to the First Lady, Dan Ezeigwe, following the circulation of a video in which Obi spoke about his relationship with Soludo and his family.
In the statement, Mrs Soludo urged the public and the media to disregard any impression created by Obi’s remarks.
She said, “We hereby state clearly that the claim, as presented, is false. For the avoidance of doubt, Mr. Peter Obi is not a godfather to any of the children of Professor Chukwuma and Dr. Nonye Soludo.”
She explained that while the two families had cordial relations, the godparent relationships were different from what was stated by Obi.
According to her, “Dr. Nonye Soludo, First Lady of Anambra State, is the confirmation godmother to Peter Obi’s daughter, Mrs. Margaret Obi, wife of Mr. Peter Obi, is the baptismal godmother to one of Professor Chukwuma Soludo’s daughters.”
“Neither Mr. Obi nor Professor Soludo has served as a godparent to the other’s children,” she added.
Mrs Soludo said it was possible that Obi had misspoken, but stressed that the clarification became necessary because the video had generated widespread enquiries.
“It is possible that Mr. Peter Obi simply misspoke in the course of making his remarks. However, given the widespread circulation of the video and the enquiries it has generated, it is important that the record be set straight,” she said.
She added, “The relationship between the two families is cordial and there is no need to misrepresent it in any manner.”
Obi had made the disputed remarks on Friday while speaking at the 22nd All Nigeria Editors Conference organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors in Enugu.
The conference, themed “The Ballot, the Media and the Task of Keeping Democracy Alive,” featured discussions on the role of the media and the challenges posed by artificial intelligence-generated misinformation during elections.
Responding to questions about his relationship with Soludo, Obi described the Anambra governor as his “respected elder brother” but acknowledged that they were not close friends.
He said, “Soludo is my respected elder brother. “Yes, we are not close. We are not friends. And we will never be friends.”
The former governor nevertheless said the political differences between them would not make him attack or abuse Soludo.
“I have no reason to do that. They are governed. They need peace. They need time,” he said.
Obi also said he would not abuse governors or other public officials, insisting that political leaders should instead be subjected to scrutiny based on their records and qualifications.
“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.
He urged politicians to respond to allegations and questions concerning their records, arguing that voters deserved adequate information before choosing their leaders.
“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,” Obi said.
The former Anambra governor also used the conference to advocate greater investment in healthcare, arguing that poor access to food and primary healthcare was contributing to Nigerians turning to religious interventions when they fell ill.
