[dropcap]I [/dropcap]felt pity as I watched Governor Soludo caught up in an intractable quagmire, all of his own makings. His first mistake was to try to say something that was irrelevant and that nobody wanted to hear. Whether Obi invested state money in buying shares in a company where he invested his private funds is not what anybody wants to hear. Standing against Tinubu and Atiku, Obi is a Saint, and anybody trying to put Obi down would be seen as an enemy of the people.
Also, Soludo said something else he had no right saying. Repeatedly stating that Obi would lose the election is the one that shocked me. How can a sitting governor debate with the electorates over who would win or lose the election? Is he somebody’s campaign manager? He went to elaborate extents to try to show why Obi would lose the election. He even predicted that the APGA candidate would beat Obi because, according to him, APGA had a better structure than Labor Party. When I read this, I was so shocked.
Soludo showed a lack of wisdom. He could have seen that nobody had been able to attack Obi without being destroyed. The most powerful prophet Fr. Mbaka is now in a Monastry prison for attacking Obi. Bishop Chukwuma is hiding in a corner now after attacking Obi. Even Reno Omokri got the whipping of his life. One journalist called Omoteseyi, who wrote an article titled ‘Obi-tuary’, has not recovered from attacking Obi. The streets are littered practically with the corpses of those who attacked Obi. Why did Soludo want to become one of the littered bodies?
Overconfidence often insulates men from reality. Soludo must have gotten to the point of believing he could have his way on any topic of his choosing. So, he believed he could succeed where a prophet like Mbaka failed. Wrong assessment! When Soludo realized he had miscalculated, the best thing would have been for him to keep quiet, and many of his friends advised him to keep quiet. But he refused. The hot blood was rushing in his veins. He did not realize that he couldn’t win this battle.
Today, to fight Obi is to fight the majority of Nigerians frustrated by the Nigerian circumstance. If you think Obi will lose the election, just keep it to yourself. I pity any public figure who risks fighting the people behind the dream of Obi. Sorry, Soludo. Next time, try to read the signpost well.
Emeka Ugwuonye is a Harvard-trained attorney and founder of Due Process Advocates, DPA.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
