“Soludo’s letter, though realistic, was also an assault on the dominant feeling of the majority of Southeasterners at the time.” —Ebuka Onyekwelu
By this time a year ago, there were ragging fireworks all over the media, ignited by an open letter written by Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, Anambra State Governor. The letter entitled “history beckons, and I will not be silent (part 1)” signified Soludo’s deliberate entry into the political ring of the 2023 Presidential Election. It would be recalled that Soludo did a similar thing in 2015 when he authored the piece, “Buhari vs Jonathan: Beyond the Election.”
Then, he was critical of the former president, Goodluck Jonathan in the piece, directly accusing his government of a missing N30 trillion Naira. This time around, the letter was not about a sitting president, but about a candidate in the election. The piece which was released by Governor Soludo on 14th November 2022, was one of the high points of the buildup to the 2023 Presidential Election. In retrospect, it would appear that Soludo did not really address Obi’s presidential aspiration on the platform of the Labour Party. Instead, he sought for an opportunity to ventilate his impression on a number of things ranging from the politics of the time to the question of the Igbo presidency, the nature of Nigerian politics, and other governance concerns in Anambra State.
At the time, whether Soludo was right or wrong that Obi losing the election was a matter of when not if, was not readily the concern of many. His piece was seen as a negative verdict on Obi’s rising profile, and that did not go well with Obi’s media base which Soludo referred to as “social media mob.” Soludo who further demanded that Peter Obi should “enjoy the fleeting frenzy of the moment,” also instructed that Obi “must moderate the desperation as exhibited by his social media mob.” Those were repeated in many other ways throughout the write-up, such that it was too difficult to be ignored or overlooked.
Governor Soludo’s letter, though realistic, was also an assault on the dominant feeling of the majority of Southeasterners at the time. Nearly everything he said was not new and many politically exposed people, even those in Obi’s team, already knew enough to see where the Presidential aspiration of Labour Party was headed, but could not do otherwise because of how it would be perceived by the Southeast masses supporting Obi not necessarily to win, but to make a point. From every conceivable standpoint, as a private individual, Soludo’s open letter might have been received differently. But as Governor of Anambra State, the letter was largely seen to be unnecessary. This is why.
Only a few months before the piece, Soludo mounted on popular social media support to also win the governorship election in Anambra State. The former Governor, Chief Willie Obiano, and all those who worked for Soludo’s success deployed social media to dwarf opponents in the PDP and APC. That aside, even more confusing to this day is what the letter sought to achieve. Worst still, Soludo did not provide any direction for his followers or appointees about who to support between the top two candidates which he acknowledged and did not provide any activation. The APGA presidential candidate, whom he mentioned, pointed to nothing as it is doubtful that Soludo provided any kind of support to the presidential candidate of his party. In the letter, Prof. Soludo admitted that he just wanted to be heard and didn’t mind being a singular voice, like the lone voice in the wilderness. Apparently, not so much thought was given to what being heard under the circumstances would add to him or take from him. If Governor Soludo intended to address the masses, the masses of the Southeast were not ready to listen to him under any guise whatsoever. If he intended to address the Southeast political elites, they already knew what he was saying because they understood the situation a lot better, although many of them still supported Obi just to make a point. The letter was therefore strange.
In comparison, Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State and former Governor, David Umahi of Ebonyi State, despite their membership of the APC were both measured in their responses to issues concerning the presidential election. Yet, not only that they are APC members, but they are known allies and supporters of then-candidate Bola Tinubu of APC, in the Southeast. In consequence, Hope Uzodimma gained from his calculated maneuvers, where he deliberately avoided any form of confrontation with the masses on the issue of Obi’s aspiration. Similarly, David Umahi gained as well. Umahi was returned elected to the Senate and he also was able to assist his preferred candidate to victory in the governorship election in Ebonyi. In Imo, Uzodimma has been returned for a second term with absolutely no difficulty.
Soludo’s letter resulted in a loss of goodwill as many who supported the governor felt attacked by his strong and realistic opinions well expressed in his letter. As a matter of fact, it was that letter that gave impetus to early opposition and the suggestion that Soludo might be a single-term governor. While the governor’s projections turned out as expected by those who already knew, it is yet unknown what the said letter added to Soludo’s capital. Instead, one year later, the letter is still remembered with mixed feelings for some of Soludo’s supporters. But for others, the letter is conceived of as a legacy of needless fight against the interest of one’s people, real or imagined. Either way, there is no pointer to any gain the letter has brought to Soludo’s political or social capital, even as his projections turned out as expected by those who understand the Nigerian political landscape.
This then speaks to the fact that for a leader elected by the people, not everything true should be said.
He is a Technical Assistant to Governor Willie Obiano’s Special Adviser on Legislative Matters, whoonce was a Special Adviser to a former Deputy Speaker of Anambra State House of Assembly. Ebuka is a second class upper division graduate of Political Science from University of Calabar, Calabar Nigeria and holds a Masters Degree in Political Science with specialization in Government and Development Studies, from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka Nigeria
