TD Former Anambra State Governor and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has dismissed suggestions that he is engaged in a personal feud with his successor, saying he and his wife are godparents to children of Governor Chukwuma Soludo.
Obi made the remarks while speaking at the 22nd All Nigeria Editors Conference of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) in Enugu.
Speaking in a video recorded at the event, Mr. Obi described their relationship as one that extends beyond politics.
He made the remarks amid an ongoing public disagreement over Anambra State’s finances, including the debts and assets allegedly inherited by successive administrations.
‘My Wife and I Are Godparents to Soludo’s Children’
Addressing the perception that he and Soludo are political enemies, Obi said his relationship with the Anambra governor was not defined by their current political differences.
He recalled that he and his wife are godparents to Soludo’s children, stressing that the two men were not enemies.
“People might not know, my wife and I are both parents of Soludo’s children.”
Obi said the fact that he and Soludo were not currently close did not mean they were quarrelling.
“We’re not close, but we’re not quarrelling. And we will never quarrel.”
He added that if they met, he would embrace Soludo despite their political differences.
“If I see him any day, me and him will hug and everything.”
The remarks come against the background of recent exchanges over Obi’s record as governor of Anambra.
The Soludo’s administration had made strange claims concerning the state’s inherited financial obligations.
Obi Reopens Debate Over Anambra’s Finances
Obi also used the occasion to reiterate his claim that he left substantial dollar-denominated investments for Anambra when he left office in 2014.
According to Obi, he left approximately $150 million in savings and investments, which he said were generating about $10 million annually.
He argued that, even if the figures being cited by the Anambra government concerning the state’s outstanding obligations were accepted, the investments he said he left behind could have been used to service the obligations while preserving the principal.
Obi said: “I left 150 million dollars.”
He further argued that if the money had remained invested and the returns had been reinvested, it would have grown substantially over the years.
He noted further:
It’s the case of a father, who allowed his children to inherit 100 million dollars, but they said he is owing 10 million, and they said he is owing debt.
“When they should have just paid it and taken their change and been celebrating the man for making them rich.”
The former governor has made similar claims previously.
In July, This Dawn reported that Obi said Anambra had $50 million each invested in three commercial banks when he handed over power in 2014, with the dollar holdings invested in bonds.
Anambra Debt Dispute Amid Godparents Claims
The dispute centres partly on how Anambra’s external financing should be characterised and what liabilities were inherited by successive administrations.
Obi has maintained that he did not personally obtain the loans being attributed to his administration.
He has challenged the presentation of development-financing facilities as conventional borrowing undertaken by him.
The Soludo administration, however, has continued to defend its accounting of the state’s inherited obligations.
Anambra Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Law Mefor, said on September 24 that there was no personal rift between Soludo and Obi, the godparents of the former’s children.
He argued that the differences between the two politicians should be understood within the context of their respective political interests.
He also said the state government’s scrutiny of Obi’s financial record was not intended to indict him.
‘We Will Never Quarrel’
Despite the continuing disagreement over the state’s finances, Obi insisted that he had no personal animosity toward Soludo.
Besides confirming that he is Soludo’s children’s godparents, his comments suggest that he views the financial dispute as a matter of public accountability rather than a personal conflict between two former governors of Anambra.
The remarks also come as the Nigerian political environment begins to intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Both Obi and Soludo occupy prominent positions in the political debate.
The Nigerian Guild of Editors conference, held in Enugu on September 24–25, brought together editors, political figures, academics and other stakeholders.
They were gathered to discuss democracy, elections, the media and national development.
For Obi, however, the message at the conference was that political disagreement with Soludo should not be interpreted as personal hostility.
“We will never quarrel,” he said, while reiterating that he would embrace the Anambra governor anywhere they met.
