Governor Soludo And The Case Of A Viral Slap
Okey Ndibe
Governor Charles Souldo taking his oath of office
The swearing in of a new state governor in Nigeria is often a peacock moment, high on hype, pageantry and aggrandizement, but bereft of substance. On the whole, then, gubernatorial inaugurations are little more than ho-hum affairs, inducing more yawns than excitement.
Last week, Charles Chukwuma Soludo had his turn at taking the oath of office as Governor of Anambra State. This time, for reasons that had to do with the man himself, the event promised to pack far more excitement and gravitas than usual. I bet he never suspected that Ebelechukwu Obiano, the wife of his immediate predecessor, Willie Obiano, was going to upstage him.
Mrs. Ebelechukwu Obiano beside her husband Former Anambra Governor Willie Obiano
By all accounts, Mrs. Obiano arrived quite late at the venue of the ceremony. Her timing made herself even more conspicuous than usual. But she was not done coloring a solemn event with scandal. In full view of the live and virtual audience, she strode to confront Bianca Ojukwu – ex-beauty queen, former ambassador, and widow of the late Biafran leader, Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu.
Apparently, there had been a history of bad blood between the two women. On the day her husband left office, Mrs. Obiano appeared set to bring a hitherto private beef into a public arena. Inebriated by some accounts, she got in her foe’s face and released a torrent of insults. An enraged Bianca Ojukwu then unleashed a stunning slap on her taunter’s face.
Some of the commotion right after the slap captured on a cellphone
Over the next few days, the slap trended. Not even the EFCC’s arrest of former Governor Obiano could compete with the slap. I received phone calls from lots of people, many of them folks I had not spoken to in years. Everybody wanted to weigh in, not on the inauguration of a potentially fascinating governor, but on the slap that stole and marred the show.
Mrs. Bianca Ojukwu at the event
Mrs. Obiano’s interjection of her bizarre and inelegant drama strikes me as a significant test of Soludo’s mettle. The new governor’s challenge is to redirect the conversation to his ambitious agenda. To do so, he must demonstrate what he’s consistently proclaimed: that he sought the office of governor to be a diligent agent of transformation.
Candidate Souldo (left) at an event with members of his team
The typical Nigerian politician is an avid dispenser of clichés and pabulum, apt to regurgitate well-worn phrases: “I want to move the state/nation forward,” “I will deliver the dividends of democracy,” and “I’m going to carry everybody along.”
In campaigning for the governorship, Candidate Soludo had set himself apart by avoiding the sort of insensible and uninspiring rhetoric cherished by other politicians. Indeed, he did what most Nigerian politicians won’t or (more likely) can’t do. In interviews and at campaign stops, he spoke with uncommon erudition about the state’s economic problems and prospects. Besides, he brought a policy wonk’s versatility, precision and insight in stating what needed to be done in order to reset the state.
Andy Uba and Souldo at the debate
He did more. A former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, he undertook the systematic political demolition of Andy Uba, a former special assistant on domestic matters to ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo. In a widely watched governorship debate, Soludo’s vim, confidence and mastery of policy left Uba tongue-tied, flat-footed and confounded. On November 6, 2021, Soludo coasted to a decisive victory in the governorship election.
The ripples from his triumph spread well beyond Anambra. In a country beset by charlatanism, where doddering, superannuated men routinely hijack political power, many began to wonder whether Soludo’s winning formula could be reproduced on the national stage.
On the stump, Soludo offered a seemingly inexhaustible menu of promises. He would curb public sector waste, generate domestic and foreign investment, rehabilitate the educational sector, create a healthcare system, revamp infrastructure, control erosion, and boost the agricultural sector.
Has he over-promised? My answer is no and yes. No, because history is replete with examples of leaders who transformed spaces and their people’s lives in a relatively short time. A transformative leader begins by envisioning a better society. In the absence of imaginative acumen, a leader is doomed to mediocrity. But vision remains an abstract roadmap unless the leader musters the discipline, fortitude, and can-do attitude to undertake a journey to greatness.
An overview of Onitsha, Anambra State
If I harbor doubts about Soludo’s promises, it’s not because I question his ability to imagine a different, better Anambra. No, it’s because Nigeria has seen too many promise makers who failed to become promise keepers. Nigeria is one of the few countries in the world where a governor or president lists payment of salaries and construction of roads as achievements. It’s ludicrous. The full scale of it comes to sharp relief when one realizes that many a Nigerian governor enjoys salaries and perks that would make an American president blush with envy.
Ultimately, the measure of Soludo’s stature as a leader will rest on one question. Does he possess the stamina to stay the course? Is he able to ignore all distractions, focusing on translating his agenda into reality? Or is he unable to keep his eyes on the prize, open to the temptation of taking the much easier road to mediocrity?
Souldo at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland
He must know that, should he fail to rise to the great expectations he encouraged, his tenure would forever be famous for that slap that drowned out his inauguration. Which would be a pity, indeed.