The Labour Party, its presidential council (LP-PC) and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi have joined issues with Anambra State governor Charles Soludo over his recent outburst, with all four now embroiled in a war of words even as other parties get their campaigns underway.
In its reaction to Soludo’s latest attack on Obi, the LP campaign team on Tuesday claimed the outburst of the Anambra State governor against the presidential candidate was full of inaccuracies.
Recall Soludo had, in a lengthy article on Monday dismissed the chances of the former Anambra State governor in the 2023 presidential election, adding that Obi himself knows that failure awaits him at the poll.
The clash between Soludo and Obi’s supporters had begun when, during an appearance on Channels TV’s ‘Politics Today’, the former CBN governor had claimed that Obi’s investments in Anambra State were ‘’next to nothing’’.
According to Soludo, Obi was playing a game with his election bid as he lacks the requisite structure to win while running on the platform of the the Labour Party.
Soludo’s assertions never sat well with Obi’s supporters who, in return, lashed out at Soludo on various social media platforms.
Soludo, in his latest article, described the attacks on him as a display of desperation and intolerance.
He described as reprehensible the habitual attempt of Obi’s supporters to bully everyone who seemed to be an opposition to Obi’s presidential bid.
He described as tyranny the attempt to muscle out those who were not in support of Obi’s presidential ambition, noting that this attitude might endanger the future political and economic interests of the Igbos.
He stressed that social media agitations and anger do not necessarily equate to political outcomes, stressing the humongous work Obi needs to get done to have real politics outcomes.
On the chances of the LP flagbearer, the governor said, “Let’s be clear: Peter Obi knows that he can’t and won’t win. He knows the game he is playing, and we know, too; and he knows that we know.”
Obi-Datti Campaign Replies
Reacting in a statement on Tuesday, the spokesperson of LP-PCP, Ndi Kato accused the governor of attacking Obi as he aims insidiously to secure possible alignment with the two major political parties in the country.
“It seems obvious that Professor Soludo is itching for the limelight, in this election season, perhaps fired up by possible understanding or alliance with our struggling political opponents,” she said.
“While we note the glaring fallacies, misrepresentations, personal insinuations and signs of personal vendetta in that long writeup, neither His Excellency Peter Obi, The Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Organisation, nor the Labour Party, for that matter, has any interest in an extended engagement with Prof Soludo this critical time when there is a bigger fish to fry.
“His Excellency Peter Obi has his work well cut out for him, this campaign season.
Labour Party speaks
National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, described comments made by Soludo as one borne out of jealousy.
The LP National Chairman said it was sad that Soludo who was at some point the Governor of the Central Bank would speak condescendingly about Obi.
Abure said, “You can see the comment is born out of selfishness, the comment is born out of self centeredness, is born out of desperation, it’s born out of envy and jealousy.
For somebody who was Central Bank Governor who should know the importance of investments which has been acclaimed by all governors to be one of the best that has been done in Anambra State, for such a man to demean such an investment will tell you that he is acting from a selfish point of view.
“Soludo does not have control of the majority of the people of Anambra State. Even Soludo rose on the legacy of Peter Obi because Peter Obi was the first Governor that rose to power through the platform of APGA.
“Obi built the party, consolidated it, and worked for the people of Anambra State which gave people confidence to continually vote for APGA.
Peter Obi’s reaction
The LP candidate, Peter Obi has also joined in the fray as he called out Soludo to perform his duties as a professor he claims he is.
Obi said this at the 2022 Lagos Business School (LBS) Alumni Conference in Lagos on Tuesday.
His words, “So, if there is anything pending, governance doesn’t finish, people are still in government in America, so you stop where you will stop, other people will continue from there. I have done my little own as a trader, now the professor is there he will do his own as a professor, the schools I didn’t roof he will roof them, that’s how government goes,” Obi said.