Soludo’s wife clarifies her godparent relationship with Peter Obi’s family

The family relationship between former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi and the family of incumbent Governor Chukwuma Soludo, was made clear following Obi’s statement that he and his wife are the godparents of Soludo’s children.

Obi had made this known on Friday at the 22nd Nigeria Editors Association Conference in Enugu, where he also rejected suggestions of any personal dispute between him and Soludo.

“People may not know, my wife and I are the godparents of Soludo’s children. Yes, we are that close. So we don’t fight, and we will never fight. If one day I meet him, he and I will hug and whatever. If they say anything, I will answer,” said Obi.

The comments then circulated widely on social media, raising questions about the true nature of the godparent relationship between the two families.

Reacting to the development, Daniel Ezeigwe, media aide to the First Lady of Anambra State, Dr Nonye Soludo, issued a clarification on Saturday.

Ezeigwe said the First Lady’s office had received several calls and inquiries seeking clarification on Obi’s statement.

The statement read, “The attention of the First Lady of Anambra State, Dr Nonye Soludo, was drawn to a viral video in which the former Governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi, claimed that ‘he and his wife are the godparents of Soludo children’.

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“After the video circulated widely, we have received several phone calls and questions asking for clarification on the claim.

“We hereby state clearly that the claims made are false. For the avoidance of doubt:

“Mr Peter Obi is not the godfather to any child of Professor Chukwuma and Dr Nonye Soludo.

“The facts regarding the godparent relationship of the two families are as follows: Dr Nonye Soludo, First Lady of Anambra State, is the inaugural ‘godmother’ of Peter Obi’s daughter.

“Mrs Margaret Obi, wife of Mr Peter Obi, is the godmother of one of Prof Chukwuma Soludo’s daughters.

“Neither Mr Obi nor Professor Soludo are godparents to each other’s children.

“It is possible that Mr Peter Obi simply misspoke while delivering his speech. However, given the widespread distribution of the video and the number of questions it has raised, the record must be set straight.

“The relationship between the two families is very good and there is no need to misinterpret it in any way.

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

The clarification stipulates that although there is a godparent relationship between members of the two families, the specific role is different from the impression created by Obi’s statement.

Based on clarification, Nonye Soludo is the godmother of one of Obi’s daughters, while Margaret Obi is the godmother of one of Soludo’s daughters.

This development comes amidst a public dispute between Obi and the Soludo administration over issues relating to the finances of Anambra State, although both parties maintain that political or policy differences do not necessarily amount to personal differences.