A clarification over the godparent relationships between the families of former Anambra State governor Peter Obi and Governor Chukwuma Soludo has emerged following remarks by Obi at a public forum in Enugu.
The clarification came from the Anambra State First Lady, Nonye Soludo, whose media aide, Daniel Ezeigwe, said on Saturday that the former governor is not the godfather of any of her children.
Ezeigwe said the clarification became necessary after Obi, speaking at the 22nd Conference of the Nigerian Guild of Editors in Enugu on Friday, referred to himself and his wife, Margaret, as godparents to Soludo’s children.
Obi had used the relationship to illustrate the closeness between the two families while dismissing suggestions that he and Soludo were engaged in a personal quarrel.
However, according to Ezeigwe, the actual godparent relationships between the families are different from the impression created by Obi’s statement.
He explained that Nonye Soludo is the confirmation godmother of Obi’s daughter, while Margaret Obi is the baptismal godmother of one of Soludo’s daughters.
The clarification specifically stated that Peter Obi does not serve as godfather to any of the children of Governor Soludo and his wife.
Ezeigwe said the distinction was important to correct what he described as a false impression arising from the former governor’s comments.
The exchange has drawn attention because it comes against the backdrop of the political relationship between Obi and Soludo, both former political allies whose paths have since diverged.
Obi, who is now the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), had insisted during the Enugu gathering that there was no personal quarrel between him and the Anambra governor.
He said the relationship between the families remained cordial and that disagreements or public criticism should not be interpreted as a personal feud.
The First Lady’s clarification, however, has narrowed the issue to the precise nature of the family ties, distinguishing between the roles played by the two women in relation to each other’s children and the separate claim concerning Peter Obi.
The clarification does not dispute that there is a godparent relationship between members of the two families, but specifically rejects the description of Peter Obi as godfather to any of the Soludos’ children.
