Soludo’s Misleading Claims On Presidential Visits: How Not To Tell Lies

Recently, Governor Charles Soludo once again revealed his persistent fixation on Mr Peter Obi, seizing the occasion of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s visit to Anambra State as a platform to continue his hatred. Cloaked in subtlety but unmistakable in intent, his remarks amounted to veiled and unwarranted attacks against Obi – an unfortunate misuse of a presidential visit for personal vendetta.

During the visit, Governor Soludo claimed in his speech that the last visit by a sitting President to the state was merely to commission a brewery. This assertion is both misleading and historically inaccurate.

Contrary to Governor Soludo’s claim, former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan paid five visits to Anambra State during his tenure, each marked by impactful public and private sector engagements that significantly advanced the state’s socio-economic development.

On October 15, 2010, President Jonathan paid his first official working visit to Anambra. During the visit, he commissioned several key projects, including the Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing plant in Nnewi; the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu Teaching Hospital, built from the ground by Mr Obi; the Kenneth Dike Central Library; the twin-building State Secretariat (the first in the state’s history); and the Emergency Management Complex. He also launched the Parenteral Drug Factory of Juhel Pharmaceuticals and commissioned several state roads, including the dualised Zik’s Avenue, Odor Bridge, the eight-lane Head Bridge–Upper Iweka Road, among others.

Chief Innocent Chukwuma, the CEO of Innoson, has said countless times that if not for Mr Peter Obi, his company would not have survived. It is among the top ten employers of labour in Anambra State and in tax payments.

On August 30, 2012, President Jonathan returned to Anambra to inaugurate Orient Petroleum’s oil drilling facilities in Aguleri-Otu, made possible by massive state investment under Mr Peter Obi. It was during that visit that Anambra was pronounced the 10th oil-producing state in Nigeria. He also inaugurated the Onitsha River Port Complex and commissioned various private-sector-led investments inspired by Mr Obi’s administration. Over 15 roads within the Onitsha Harbour Industrial Estate were completed and commissioned during the visit. Key facilities commissioned within the estate included Orange Drugs Company, Krisoral Company, and Brollo Steel Company, among others.

He also facilitated the establishment of International Breweries (Intafact), which today stands as the foremost employer of labour in Anambra State and its highest taxpayer. Near the end of Mr Peter Obi’s administration, the company sought to expand operations, having already secured land along the banks of the Omambala River. Regrettably, due to the current administration’s perceived indifference to investment-driven initiatives, that expansion was redirected to Shagamu — a decision for which the Ogun State Governor remains openly grateful. Notably, three of the brewery’s largest distributors hail from Anambra, each providing employment to over 100 workers, further underscoring the state’s latent economic potential. Meanwhile, in neighbouring Enugu, the people continue to celebrate the establishment of the brewery at Ama, yet curiously, some choose to deride Anambra’s own achievements. In contrast, South Africa, with over 200 breweries, has turned its beverage industry into a powerful economic engine, exporting various brands across the continent, including to Nigeria, which hosts barely 20 breweries.

His third and fourth visits were to sympathise with victims of the devastating floods in Anambra and to attend the funeral of Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, respectively. Both visits were facilitated by the then-Gov. Obi.

His fifth and final visit occurred on 10 March 2014, when he officially flagged off the construction of the ₦117 billion Second Niger Bridge – an infrastructural milestone long yearned for by the people of the South-East. This historic event, which took place just days before Mr Peter Obi completed his tenure, was more than ceremonial. President Goodluck Jonathan, in his address, acknowledged Mr Obi’s persistence and instrumental role in ensuring the project moved from promise to execution. He stated that he felt a moral obligation to personally inaugurate the bridge in honour of Obi’s tireless advocacy. Notably, it was at Mr Obi’s insistence that the contract was re-awarded to Julius Berger, a globally reputable construction firm, to guarantee structural integrity and timely delivery.

Throughout all these presidential visits, not once did Mr Peter Obi use the platform to denigrate his predecessors. He approached each occasion not as an opportunity for self-aggrandisement, but as a moment to elevate Anambra State, celebrated as the ‘Light of the Nation’, to unify its diverse people and attract meaningful investment. For him, governance was a call to service, not a stage for settling personal scores. This is the true spirit of a state visit: dignified, visionary, and people-focused. It should never be reduced to a theatre of the absurd, where individuals entrusted with leadership exhibit nothing but poor upbringing and petty spite under the spotlight of national attention.

It is important to underscore that Mr Peter Obi deliberately encouraged the commissioning of private investments during presidential visits. His rationale was clear: while public infrastructure is expected from the government, real economic growth requires private sector participation, which in turn benefits from federal attention and encouragement. This strategy attracted some of the most consequential investments in Anambra’s history, many of which remain top employers and major taxpayers today.

It should also be noted that the amusement park commissioned during President Tinubu’s visit was, until Mr Obi’s intervention, a flooded wasteland. It was Obi who reopened the closed water channel, constructed a massive culvert, and made the area accessible for future development.

Regarding Soludo’s reference to the South-East’s endorsement of President Jonathan in 2011, it is worth pointing out that this was a collective decision by the South-East’s leadership. They chose not to field a candidate for the presidency or vice presidency, opting instead to support Jonathan with the hope of reciprocal support in the future. It is therefore curious that Soludo failed to mention the type of adoption he meant, which actually was the adoption of President Mohammad Buhari in 2015 and 2019.

Regrettably, Governor Soludo’s recent remarks continue a pattern of publicly undermining Mr Peter Obi—a trend that has persisted since the 2023 presidential campaign. Even more perplexing is that, rather than using President Tinubu’s visit to market Anambra and attract investment, Soludo chose to peddle a distorted version of history that downplays the state’s developmental strides.

Public officials must speak truthfully, especially in the presence of national figures. Rewriting history for political gain not only disrespects past administrations but also insults the intelligence of Ndi Anambra.

Facts remain sacred. No amount of distortion can erase the visible legacy of impactful governance delivered during the Jonathan–Obi era.