‘He may have misspoken’ — Soludo’s wife says Peter obi not godparent to any of her children

VIA THE CABLE:

Nonye Soludo, wife of Anambra state governor, says Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), is not godfather to any of her children.

Daniel Ezeigwe, media aide to Nonye Soludo, issued the clarification on Saturday after a statement attributed to Obi said he and his wife are godparents to the governor’s children.

Obi made the comment on Friday while speaking at the Nigerian Guild of Editors’ 22nd Conference in Enugu.

“People may not know, my wife and I are godparents to Soludo’s children. Yes, we are that close. So we are not quarrelling, and we will never quarrel. If I see him any day, he and I will hug and everything. If they say anything, I’ll answer them,” he said.

The comment was subsequently circulated widely, prompting enquiries about the nature of the relationship between the two families.

In the statement, Ezeigwe said the clarification became necessary to correct the impression created by Obi’s remarks.

“We hereby state clearly that the claim, as presented, is false,” the statement reads.

“For the avoidance of doubt. Mr Peter Obi is not a godfather to any of the children of Professor Chukwuma and Dr Nonye Soludo.

“The facts concerning the godparent relationship between the two families are as follows: 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 Prof Chukwuma Soludo’s daughters.

“Neither Mr Obi nor Professor Soludo has served as a godparent to the other’s children.”

Ezeigwe said Obi may have “simply misspoke” while making the remarks, but added that the wide circulation of the video made it necessary to clarify the relationship.

“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,” he said.

“The relationship between the two families is cordial, and there is no need to misrepresent it in any manner.

“We urge members of the public, the media and all concerned to take note of this clarification and disregard any impression created by the statement that Mr Peter Obi is godfather to any of Governor Soludo’s children.”

The clarification comes amid recent public disagreements over financial issues relating to Obi’s tenure as Anambra governor, which have fuelled speculation about his relationship with Soludo.

Law Mefor, the state’s commissioner for information and value reorientation, however, said on Thursday that there was no personal rift between the two politicians.