Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo has denied being hired to “assassinate” Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi.
Bola Tinubu, former governor of Lagos State and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was declared the winner of the presidential election on February 25 by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Mr Obi, who finished third in the election, rejected the results and vowed to sue.
Shortly after, a social media report claimed that Mr Soludo met with Mr Tinubu, the president-elect, and his son, Seyi, at the Imo State Government Owerri, where they struck a deal with the Anambra State governor to prevent Mr Obi from reclaiming his mandate through the courts and to “assassinate” the LP candidate.
According to the report, the governor was paid $5 million to “assassinate” the LP candidate and shift the blame to the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra, a group leading the agitation for an independent Biafra state carved out of the South-east and some parts of the South-south.
Peter Obi wins in Anambra polling units
On Monday, Mr Soludo responded through his spokesperson, Christian Aburime, calling the speculations “infantile, nauseating, mischievous, and unnecessarily inflammatory.”
According to him, as governor of Anambra, he is the father of the people and will not “plot or collude to harm any lawful citizen of the state, including Mr Peter Obi,” whom he described as a “brother and friend” despite their opposing political views.
The governor claimed the allegation was part of a plot to disrupt the upcoming state assembly elections in the South-east.
He denied all of the allegations and stated that he was in the state preparing for the March 11 elections.
“If certain people can sit somewhere and concoct a story like this, it becomes highly reprehensible and certainly deserves to be condemned by every right-thinking person,” Mr Soludo said.
“Ndi Anambra should also dismiss all of the insinuations in the article as falsehoods. They should turn out in large numbers to vote for APGA (candidates) in the State House of Assembly election this Saturday,” he added.
Mr Soludo appeared to have lost favor with Mr Obi after predicting in November that Mr Obi would not win the 2023 presidential election, citing a “lack of political structure” and the South-low east’s voting strength.
He also claimed that Mr Obi’s entry into the race would help APC candidate Bola Tinubu win the presidential election.
Several people, believed to be LP supporters, condemned Mr Soludo for his remarks.
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