THE Anambra State branch of the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) has described the ongoing media feud between former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, and the incumbent governor, Chukwuma Soludo, as unhealthy and urged prominent Igbo elders to intervene urgently to prevent further escalation.
The organisation said the war of words and counter-accusations between the two Anambra-born politicians did not serve the interests of the state or the wider Igbo nation.
Chairman of the Anambra CLO, Evangelist Comrade Vincent Ezekwueme, expressed concern over what he described as the escalating exchange of allegations and attacks between Obi and Soludo.
Ezekwueme, who spoke in a statement titled “Let Us Love One Another”, said the dispute had centred on issues including inherited debts, unpaid gratuities and the financial records of Anambra State.
He said while accountability remained a fundamental principle of democracy, the manner in which the issues were being debated through public statements and media exchanges was unhelpful.
“Our attention has been drawn to the recent exchange in the public space and across media platforms, bordering on allegations of inherited debts, unpaid gratuities and financial records of Anambra State.
“While accountability is a cardinal principle of democracy, the CLO holds that the present manner of engagement through press wars and counter-accusations does not serve the interest of Anambra State, nor does it serve the greater Igbo nation,” he said.
Ezekwueme said the dispute was becoming a source of embarrassment to Igbo people in Nigeria and the diaspora, adding that the region needed unity and cohesion.
“At a time when Ndigbo need unity, strategic cohesion and a common front more than ever before, two of our finest leaders should not be seen to be tearing each other down in public,” he said.
The CLO chairman called for an immediate ceasefire by both camps and urged Obi and Soludo to encourage their supporters to stop further public accusations over the issues.
He appealed to the two politicians to embrace dialogue, forgiveness, tolerance and mutual respect in the interest of peace.
According to him, “history will judge them more kindly if they choose dialogue over discord”, while Anambra State remained greater than any individual or political ambition.
Ezekwueme, who was flanked by the CLO secretary, Comrade Chidi Mba, and Chairman of its Peace and Conflict Resolution Committee, Sir Ik Onyekwere, also called on religious leaders, traditional rulers and elder statesmen to facilitate reconciliation.
He specifically appealed to the Catholic Archbishop of Onitsha, Most Rev. Valerian Okeke, and the Catholic Bishop of Awka, Most Rev. Dr Paulinus Ezeokafor, to use their moral authority to broker peace between the two politicians.
He also called for the intervention of the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe; Chairman of the Anambra State Council of Traditional Rulers, HRM Igwe Iweka; former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku; and former Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Chief Simeon Okeke.
“These are men whose voices command respect across Igbo land and Nigeria. We urge them to intervene quickly to restore peace, normalcy, reconciliation and tranquillity,” Ezekwueme said.
The CLO chairman said the disagreement was an avoidable brotherly feud that could cause lasting damage if allowed to continue unchecked.
He recalled the contributions of prominent Igbo figures, including Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Odumegwu Ojukwu, Professor Ben Nwabueze, Dr Pius Ezeife and Chief Mbazulike Amechi, saying their legacies underscored the need for unity.
Quoting Azikiwe’s admonition that people should “make friends, not enemies”, Ezekwueme urged the parties to prioritise reconciliation over confrontation.
He added that the Igbo people could not afford to remain divided at a time when unity was needed to advance their collective interests.
“Anambra is bigger than any individual. The Igbo project is bigger than any political ambition,” he said.
