Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
The political relationship between Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo and his predecessor, Peter Obi, has deteriorated into open confrontation as the two figures align with opposing presidential camps ahead of the 2027 general election, a development that has added a combustible new dimension to a long-running dispute over the state's financial records.
Soludo, the national leader of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, has endorsed President Bola Tinubu for a second term and declared that his party will not field a presidential candidate in 2027. Obi, who governed Anambra from 2006 to 2014 and contested the presidency in 2023 on the Labour Party platform, is seeking the presidency again, this time as the candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress. The two men hail from the same state, but their political trajectories have now diverged into direct competition for Anambra's votes.
Soludo's endorsement of Tinubu was formalised in March 2026 when he ruled out APGA fielding a presidential candidate and said the party would support the ruling government at the centre. He subsequently canvassed support for Tinubu at rallies and public events, arguing that the South-East must abandon what he described as an "alliance of protest" and embrace an "alliance for progress and prosperity." In June, at an APC rally in Ebonyi State, Soludo said the Igbo people should not "waste" their votes on alternative candidates, a remark widely interpreted as a direct reference to Obi's candidacy. "In politics, people do not get what they deserve; they get what they bargain for," Soludo said. "In a democracy, the principal currency for that bargain is the vote. You should be active participants in shaping the narratives."
The endorsement has been echoed by federal officials. Minister of Works Dave Umahi said the APC and APGA would work collaboratively to deliver Anambra for Tinubu, describing Obi as a friend but insisting he could not win the presidency. "All our South-East votes cannot make our brother president," Umahi said. Minister of Aviation Festus Keyamo defended the scrutiny of Obi's record, saying it was hypocritical to examine Tinubu's Lagos tenure from 27 years ago while rejecting checks on Obi's Anambra administration, which ended 19 years ago. The minister's intervention signalled that the Presidency and its allies were prepared to engage directly in the dispute.
The financial dimension of the conflict has intensified in recent weeks. The Anambra State Government, through Commissioner for Information Law Mefor, released records claiming that external loans contracted during Obi's tenure amounted to $123.7 million, with an outstanding balance of $92.35 million as of June 2026. The government also said it had paid about N22 billion in gratuity arrears inherited from previous administrations. Obi rejected the claims and issued a direct challenge to Soludo, declaring he would end his 2027 presidential campaign if the governor could produce evidence of unpaid debts. "If you find even one person I owed, I will end my 2027 campaign today," Obi said. His supporters subsequently released handover documents dated March 2024 showing the state closed his tenure with a net positive balance of more than N86 billion, with no unpaid salaries, pensions or contractor debts.
The dispute has drawn intervention from civil society. The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law accused Soludo of turning the state's governmental machinery into an instrument of support for Tinubu and attacks against Obi, rather than concentrating on governance. The organisation threatened to pursue international sanctions against Soludo and five other governors, alleging political exclusion and intimidation of opposition figures. The allegations have not been independently verified, and the governors were not given the opportunity to respond before publication.
Obi's response to the endorsement has been measured in public but firm in private. He has said governors have the right to support whoever they choose, but his campaign has framed the Anambra contest as a referendum on his record versus the establishment's narrative. His supporters in the state have expressed anger at APGA's alignment with the APC, with some warning that voters may punish APGA candidates at the polls.
The political stakes extend beyond Anambra. Soludo is the only governor elected on the APGA platform and serves as the party's national leader. His decision to back Tinubu effectively commits APGA's machinery to the ruling party's re-election effort in the South-East, a region where Obi secured overwhelming support in 2023. If Soludo succeeds in delivering Anambra for Tinubu, it would represent a significant political achievement and a rebuke to Obi's electoral influence. If he fails, it would raise questions about his political judgment and his ability to manage the state's relationship with the Federal Government.
The January 16, 2027, presidential election is now less than four months away. INEC's final list of candidates confirms Obi, Tinubu and other major contenders. Anambra, with its substantial voting population and symbolic significance as Obi's home state, will be one of the most closely watched battlegrounds in the country. The battle between Soludo and Obi is not merely a dispute between two former governors; it is a contest over the political direction of the South-East and the credibility of two competing visions for Nigeria's future. As the campaign intensifies, the personal and the political have become inseparable, and the outcome will shape not only Anambra's trajectory but the national political landscape.
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