Soludo Family Clarifies Godparent Relationship After Peter Obi’s Claim Sparks Debate

A seemingly personal remark by former Anambra State governor Peter Obi about his relationship with Governor Chukwuma Soludo has prompted a public clarification from the governor’s family after Obi said he and his wife were godparents to Soludo’s children. The disagreement emerged after Obi spoke at the 22nd Conference of the Nigerian Guild of Editors in Enugu, where he sought to play down suggestions of a personal rift between himself and Soludo despite their political differences. While describing the closeness between the two families, Obi said that he and his wife, Margaret, were godparents to Soludo’s children. But the office of Anambra State First Lady Dr Nonye Soludo subsequently disputed the statement, explaining that although godparent relationships exist between the families, Peter Obi himself is not godfather to any of the Soludos’ children. Obi Says Families Remain Close Obi made the remark on Friday while discussing his relationship with Soludo. The former Anambra governor said the two men were not personally quarrelling and indicated that they would embrace if they met despite disagreements that have emerged in the political arena. As evidence of the families’ relationship, Obi said that he and his wife were godparents to Soludo’s children. The remark attracted attention after a video of his comments circulated online, prompting questions about the precise relationship between the families. That led Nonye Soludo’s office to issue a formal clarification. First Lady’s Office Disputes Obi’s Description Daniel Ezeigwe, media aide to the Anambra State First Lady, said the office had received enquiries following circulation of Obi’s comments. According to the clarification, Peter Obi has never served as godfather to any child of Chukwuma and Nonye Soludo. The statement, however, confirmed that there are genuine godparent relationships connecting the two families. Nonye Soludo is the confirmation godmother to one of Peter Obi’s daughters. Margaret Obi, Peter Obi’s wife, is in turn the baptismal godmother to one of the daughters of Chukwuma and Nonye Soludo. The First Lady’s office therefore maintained that neither Peter Obi nor Governor Soludo has personally served as a godfather to the other family’s children. That distinction appears to explain the conflicting descriptions. Obi spoke broadly about himself and his wife being godparents to the Soludo family, while the subsequent clarification specified exactly which individuals hold the recognised godparent roles. Soludo’s Office Says Obi May Have Misspoken Despite rejecting the accuracy of Obi’s description, the First Lady’s office did not accuse the former governor of deliberately making a false statement. Instead, Ezeigwe said it was possible that Obi simply misspoke while making his remarks. The statement also maintained that the relationship between the two families remained cordial and said there was no reason for it to be misrepresented. That qualification is significant because the disagreement over the godparent claim emerged against the backdrop of political disputes involving Obi and the current Anambra administration. The available statements from both sides therefore point to disagreement about a specific factual detail concerning the families rather than confirmation of a personal feud. Political Disagreements Have Put Relationship Under Scrutiny Obi governed Anambra State from 2006 to 2014, while Soludo became governor in 2022. Their relationship has periodically attracted attention as the two politicians have taken different political paths and publicly disagreed on governance and economic issues. More recently, questions surrounding debts and financial obligations inherited by successive Anambra administrations have produced another round of exchanges. Obi has defended his financial record as governor, while officials in the current administration have discussed outstanding obligations connected with previous governments. Those disagreements have contributed to public speculation about the personal relationship between Obi and Soludo. It was in that broader context that Obi used the godparent relationship between their families to stress that political disagreement did not necessarily translate into personal hostility. The subsequent clarification from Nonye Soludo’s office did not challenge that broader assertion that the families remain cordial. Instead, it disputed Obi’s description of who specifically serves as godparent. What Has Been Confirmed? Reports from Punch, Daily Post, Premium Times, Vanguard and other Nigerian publications are consistent on the main sequence of events. Obi publicly said that he and his wife were godparents to Soludo’s children. Nonye Soludo’s office responded that the description was inaccurate. The First Lady’s office then provided a more specific account: Nonye Soludo is confirmation godmother to Obi’s daughter, while Margaret Obi is baptismal godmother to one of the Soludos’ daughters. No evidence presented in the clarification establishes Peter Obi himself as godfather to any of Governor Soludo’s children. At the same time, the statement confirms that the families are indeed linked through godparent relationships. The disagreement is therefore narrower than some social-media interpretations suggest. Families Say Relationship Remains Cordial Perhaps the most important common ground between the two accounts is that neither side has described the families as being personally estranged. Obi used his remarks to emphasise closeness and said he was not quarrelling with Soludo. The First Lady’s office, while correcting his description of the godparent relationship, similarly maintained that relations between the families were cordial. For that reason, portraying the clarification as evidence of a complete personal breakdown between Obi and Soludo would go beyond what either side has publicly stated. Instead, the dispute centres on the accuracy of one part of Obi’s description of their longstanding family relationship. As political exchanges involving both men continue to attract attention, the episode also demonstrates how statements involving personal relationships can quickly become part of a wider political debate. For now, the clearest account available is that Peter Obi and Chukwuma Soludo are not personally godfathers to each other’s children, according to the Soludo family’s clarification.