Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, has explained why he withdrew his support for Peter Obi’s 2023 presidential ambition, saying he was concerned that the former governor’s candidacy could split opposition votes and make it easier for President Bola Tinubu to emerge victorious.
Soludo made the disclosure during an interview with BBC News Igbo on Monday, where he addressed his political differences with Obi and insisted that their disagreements had not affected their personal relationship.
According to the governor, he was initially the person who invited Obi to join the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in March 2022 to pursue his presidential ambition.
He said the invitation was not necessarily based on the expectation that Obi would win the presidency but on the need to mobilise the South-East politically.
“It was me myself who invited him to APGA so he could run, early March 2022 at Nnamdi Azikiwe University,” Soludo said.
He explained that his position later changed because he believed Obi’s decision to contest the 2023 presidential election could weaken the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and indirectly benefit Tinubu.
“In fact, I also wrote to him that his participation would take away a lot of votes from the PDP and make it easier for Tinubu to win,” the governor stated.
Soludo also dismissed suggestions that his political disagreements with Obi had destroyed their friendship, stressing that both men and their families remained close despite their different political interests.
“Peter Obi and I are good friends. Our two families are on good terms,” he said.
The governor further recalled that Obi supported another candidate during the last Anambra governorship election, but maintained that the decision did not affect their relationship.
“He has someone he thinks should be the governor of Anambra. I am also listening. He supported the person he wanted. But I won by the grace of God,” Soludo added.
Obi governed Anambra State between March 2006 and March 2014 under APGA before contesting the 2023 presidential election on the platform of the Labour Party, where he finished third behind Tinubu and PDP candidate Atiku Abubakar.
In November 2022, Soludo published an article titled History Beckons and I Will Not Be Silent, in which he questioned Obi’s chances of winning the presidential election.
Speaking further, Soludo said Nigeria’s political landscape had changed, warning that even a united opposition could struggle to defeat an incumbent president.
“Even if you have a united opposition, it still does not guarantee you get to defeat an incumbent. But that is even the starting point,” he said.
