Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, has said his relationship with former governor Peter Obi remains cordial despite their political disagreements.
Soludo made the clarification during an interview with BBC News Igbo on Monday, November 2, 2026.
He explained that their differences were political and had not affected the relationship between their families.
“Peter Obi and I are good friends. Our two families are on good terms. His wife gave birth to my child in the divine water; my wife gave birth to his child in the confirmation. But when it comes to politics, give me mine, give him his. It’s politics that is being done,” Soludo said.
Soludo Speaks on Their Political Differences
The governor also disclosed that he and Obi supported different candidates during the last Anambra governorship election.
According to him, Obi supported his preferred candidate, while Soludo pursued his own political interests.
“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,” he said.
Soludo’s comments come amid renewed disagreements over Obi’s eight-year administration in Anambra and the state’s financial position when he left office in 2014.
The two politicians had also disagreed publicly in September over claims about their families’ godparent relationships.
Obi had described himself and his wife as godparents to Soludo’s children. However, Daniel Ezeigwe, media aide to the Anambra First Lady, offered a clarification.
Ezeigwe said Nonye Soludo was the confirmation godmother to Obi’s daughter. He added that Obi’s wife, Margaret, was the baptismal godmother to one of Soludo’s daughters.
Governor Revisits 2022 Comments About Obi
During the interview, Soludo also addressed his controversial 2022 article questioning Obi’s chances in the 2023 presidential election.
The governor explained that he did not simply predict Obi would lose. Rather, he argued that Obi’s emergence as a third-force candidate could divide opposition votes.
Soludo said he believed Obi’s participation would take votes away from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), making it easier for the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Tinubu, to win.
“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,” he said.
He also maintained that uniting opposition parties would not automatically guarantee victory against an incumbent administration.
“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,” Soludo added.
Soludo Recalls Inviting Obi to APGA
The Anambra governor further revealed that he personally invited Obi to join the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in March 2022.
He said the invitation was made at Nnamdi Azikiwe University ahead of the 2023 presidential election.
According to Soludo, their initial discussions focused on mobilising the Igbo people and building political strength, rather than simply pursuing presidential power.
“It was me myself who invited him to APGA so he could run, early March 2022 at Nnamdi Azikiwe University,” he said.
Soludo added that political alliances should involve consultations and a shared strategy before parties pursue power.
His latest remarks again draw a distinction between his personal relationship with Obi and their separate political positions.
