Nze Uche Mefor, Ọzọ Ògìdì n’ Abatete, has criticised what he described as a campaign of calumny against former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, by the administration of the incumbent governor, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo.
Mefor, in a statement reacting to the ongoing public exchanges between the Soludo administration and the former governor, described the development as “an abomination, a sacrilege, ihe ala na-asọ nsọ,” arguing that political disagreements should not be allowed to undermine the dignity and history of Anambra State.
The controversy between the Soludo administration and Obi has largely centred on claims concerning loans, liabilities and other financial obligations allegedly inherited from the former governor’s administration. The Soludo government has released figures and records to support its position, while Obi has rejected the allegations and challenged the state government to substantiate its claims with verifiable financial records.
Reacting to the development, Mefor described the allegations against Obi as “wickedness wrapped in questionable claims of authenticity and disguised as intellectualism,” alleging that the campaign was politically motivated.
According to him, “It is a very poor campaign of calumny just to please President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
Mefor also directly appealed to his brother, Dr Law Okwu Mefor, the Anambra State Commissioner for Information and Value Reformation, urging him to consider the temporary nature of political power.
“My big brother, the Commissioner for Information, Dr Law Okwu Mefor, please pause and remember: politics is effervescent, transient and temporary,” he said.
He argued that public officials should be conscious of the historical consequences of statements and actions taken while in office.
Mefor said political propaganda, allegations and counter-allegations would not ultimately determine Peter Obi’s place in history.
“Half-truths, innuendoes, outright falsehoods and propaganda cannot stop a man, Mr. Peter Obi, whose future has a positive date with history and whose destiny is already sealed with or without the Nigerian presidency,” he stated.
He urged the Anambra State Government to allow documentary evidence and independently verifiable records to determine the truth concerning the financial issues under contention.
“If there are debts, let the certified records speak. If there are liabilities, let the documents speak. If there are financial discrepancies, let the accounts speak,” Mefor said.
According to him, accountability remains necessary in governance, but it should not be turned into a political weapon against former office holders.
He further argued that successive administrations should be judged by their records of service rather than by their ability to discredit their predecessors.
“Anambra State belongs to all of us. It does not belong to any governor, political party, administration or political camp,” he said.
Mefor also noted that political offices are temporary, stressing that the actions of today’s political actors would eventually become part of the historical record of the state.
“Politics must not become an instrument for rewriting history. And intellectualism must never become a cloak for political propaganda,” he added.
He therefore called for restraint from all sides and urged the contending parties to place the relevant financial records before the public for proper scrutiny rather than allowing the dispute to degenerate into personal and political attacks.
Concluding his statement, Mefor said: “The political appointment will end. The tenure will end. But the records we create today will remain for generations yet unborn.
“History is watching. Posterity will judge.
“Let the documents speak. Let the facts speak. Let truth prevail—for the sake of Anambra, for the sake of our people, and for the sake of history.”
#IPINS #IBN
