KEY TAKEAWAYS
- APGA founder, Chekwas Okorie, accused Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, of using support for President Bola Tinubu to attack NDC candidate, Peter Obi.
- Okorie said Soludo’s feud with Obi stems from three events: Obi beating Soludo in 2009, Soludo’s August 2013 APGA primary disqualification, and the 2023 Anambra Central primary.
- Okorie urged Soludo to focus on governing Anambra State, saying Obi still treats him with respect despite alleged criticism and calling on him to leave Obi alone.
The founder of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Chekwas Okorie, has alleged that Anambra State Governor Prof. Chukwuma Soludo is using his support for President Bola Tinubu to criticise the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
Okorie made the allegation in a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday, accusing the Anambra governor of sustaining what he described as a campaign against his predecessor.
According to the APGA founder, Obi has continued to show Soludo respect and extend normal courtesies despite the governor’s alleged criticism of him.
“I have watched with disgust and utter disappointment, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo’s vicious and vile vendetta against Mr. Peter Obi.
“Mr. Peter Obi has not for a moment ceased to extend his usual courtesies and respect to Prof. Soludo at any given opportunity even as Prof. Soludo is on his vituperations on Obi,” he said.
Okorie alleged that Soludo had been “hiding under the cover of supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu” to oppose Obi.
He traced the disagreement between the two men to three major political developments involving Anambra State politics and the APGA.
The first, he said, was the 2009 Anambra governorship election, in which Obi defeated Soludo.
“Peter Obi won the election resoundingly and beat Soludo to a distant third position. This is Peter Obi’s first ‘offense’ to Soludo,” Okorie said.
He also mentioned Soludo’s disqualification from the APGA governorship primary in August 2013 during Victor Umeh’s leadership of the party.
Okorie alleged that Soludo had attributed his exclusion from the primary to Obi. The third issue, according to him, was the APGA senatorial primary for Anambra Central ahead of the 2023 election.
He said Umeh later contested and won the Anambra Central senatorial election on the Labour Party platform, which Okorie linked to Obi’s political influence.
“The above three ‘offenses’ are the real reasons Prof. Chukwuma Soludo swore to bring down Mr. Peter Obi by any means possible,” he alleged.
Okorie also referenced Soludo’s 2022 article titled, “History Beckons And I Will Not Remain Silent,” describing it as a major point in the governor’s public criticism of Obi.
The APGA founder described Obi as “the most outstanding and the most popular presidential candidate on the presidential ballot.”
He also called the Obi-Kwankwaso combination “the most formidable combination in any presidential election in Nigeria after the Shagari/Ekwueme presidential ticket.”
Okorie advised Soludo to concentrate on governing Anambra State, arguing that the governor had enough challenges in the state requiring his attention.
“There are several issues challenging the people of Anambra State that are sufficient to keep Prof. Soludo busy. Prof. Soludo should be mindful of the verdict of history.
“Prof. Chukwuma Soludo leave Mr. Peter Obi alone,” he said.
