Governor Soludo
OpenLife Nigeria reports that governor of Anambra State, Professor Charles Soludo, his wife, Mrs Nonye Soludo and Senator Uche Ekwunife, the All Progressives Congress, APC, guber running mate in the November governorship contest are currently tearing themselves apart in the public space with unbelievable accusations.
As a matter of fact, the political arena in Anambra State has turned into a theatre of personal insults and academic jibes.
The battle started after Governor Charles Soludo and Uche Ekwunife, exchanged blistering verbal attacks that have now gone viral.
What began as a campaign stump speech by Soludo questioning the authenticity of Ekwunife’s academic qualifications quickly escalated into a no-holds-barred slugfest, with the former senator not only rejecting the allegations but also turning the spotlight on the governor’s own academic and personal record.
Soludo questions Ekwunife’s PhD, slams Ukachukwu
In a viral video from the campaign trail, Soludo launched a scathing critique of Nicholas Ukachukwu, the APC governorship candidate, branding him a “land grabber” who, if defeated at the polls, would have to “return to sand mining” to make a living.
“I have gotten a job for him [Ukachukwu],” Soludo declared. “I know that the land grabbing he is into, he will still be getting something from there. Otherwise, he will meet the people doing sand mining and he will take one tipper to drive because of all the roads I have been building. Tippers are now running smoothly.”
Turning his fire on Ukachukwu’s running mate, Soludo accused Ekwunife of parading a fake doctorate degree obtained from a dubious American institution.
“INEC has a column where, if you are filling your form, you will swear in court that everything you filled is the truth and nothing but the truth,” the governor said. “So this person wrote that she has senior secondary school certificate, then she also said that she has a PhD. But how can you have a secondary school certificate without a diploma, a degree, or a master’s, but suddenly a PhD?”
He claimed an investigation revealed that the certificate was obtained from a “degree mill” that sold certificates for as little as $60, without any accreditation in the United States or recognition by Nigeria’s National Universities Commission (NUC).
“It is a PhD certificate from a fake institution,” Soludo alleged. “Even as a vulcanizer, you can pay money and they will give you the certificate. Yet you’re parading it. It is better for you to just write senior secondary school certificate because that is what you have, and it is enough.”
The governor vowed to make fake certificates a campaign issue after the November 8 election. “When we finish dealing with Okeite [ritualists], we will go after those with the fake certificates because they are confusing our children,” he warned.
Ekwunife fires back: “Smelling professor”
Ekwunife, visibly incensed, responded in kind through another viral video, turning Soludo’s attack on its head. She not only dismissed the allegations about her PhD as “baseless propaganda” but also mocked Soludo’s own professorship and went personal, branding him a “smelling professor.”
“The fake professor that says he is governing a state, please leave me alone,” she shot back. “Soludo, you contested for governor twice and failed before Obiano supported you. For the past three years that you have been governor, it is only suffering and deaths that the state is passing through.”
Citing the deaths of two state assembly members under what she described as “questionable circumstances,” she accused Soludo of failing to investigate or provide leadership.
“You are calling my name; you are saying that my certificate is fake, then go to court,” she said. “Why are you waiting until November 8? You should have gone to court now. You also said that I don’t have a master’s. UNIZIK is close to you; why not go to UNIZIK and ask them?”
Ekwunife went further, challenging the legitimacy of Soludo’s academic laurels. “It appears that your own professorship is different. I now understand what people have been saying, that your professor title is an award and you did not earn it. If you earned it, show us where and how you earned it. It is just an award that your department gave you, and you are making noise.”
She then descended into personal insults, alleging the governor suffered from poor hygiene. “Soludo, has anybody told you that your mouth smells? You are the dirtiest governor in the whole of Africa. Go and tell your wife to buy deodorant for you. When you open your mouth to speak, the odour that comes out is so stinking and embarrassing for a governor.”
“You cannot determine my future”
Ekwunife also accused Soludo of chauvinism, pointing to his earlier claim that “a married woman cannot be governor.” She countered that the governor’s own daughter, now married in Anambra, would fall victim to the same logic.
“Well, let me tell you something, Soludo,” she added defiantly. “I am where I am today without one percent of your support. I can be president tomorrow without your support. You are too small to determine my future. I am where I am today because of hard work, God’s grace, and perseverance, and one million Soludos cannot stop me.”
A race turning toxic
The bitter exchange has thrown Anambra’s political contest into the national spotlight, transforming what should be a debate about governance into a personal slugfest over credentials, integrity, and even hygiene.
For many voters, the spectacle underscores the rising tension as the November 8 governorship election approaches. Rather than issues of infrastructure, security, or economic revival dominating the campaign, Anambra’s political heavyweights are now engaged in an unprecedented public quarrel, each trying to out-insult the other.
Soludo’s wife joins the battle
In like manner, Mrs Nonye Soludo has asked Senator Uche Ekwunife to leave her out of politics and concentrate on her struggles.
Mrs Soludo who was reacting to a video where the senator, while trying to attack the governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, stated that his wife, Nonye, worked with Mbadinuju’s government, which was considered to have failed.
But Mrs Soludo in her reply urged Ekwunife to rather focus on how to defend her PhD degree, which have been allegedly found out to be fake and issued by an unaccredited institution.
The wife of the governor in a statement signed by her media Adviser, Mr Daniel Ezeigwe said: “At no time was Soludo nor his wife involved in the government of the time (Mbadinuju). Though it is sad that Senator Ekwunife would rather resort to inciting hate and name-calling against a woman who is widely loved by the people, the truth is that, unlike Ekwunife herself, the governor’s wife can never be drawn to political or personal debasement.
“To bring clarity to light and to ensure that unsuspecting members of the public — especially Ndi Anambra who hold the Soludos in the highest esteem — do not get misled by false information, we wish to establish that at no point did the wife of the Governor of Anambra State, Dr. (Mrs) Frances Nonye Soludo work or was involved in any role in the administration of Ex-Governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju.
“The viral recorded clip, where Senator Uche Ekwunife falsely stated that the governor’s wife was part of late Dr. Mbadinuju’s administration, should be totally disregarded as a statement of mischief and pure deceit.”
Mrs Soludo urged Ekwunife to concentrate on her political journey and leave her out in her attempt to derail the argument about the authenticity or otherwise of her PhD degree.
The statement added, “While we understand Senator Ekwunife’s natural disposition to petty contrivance, including investing in lies and fallacious claims, it is important to state that at the time of Governor Mbadinuju’s tenure, Dr. Nonye was already doing well as an established entrepreneur in agriculture and real estate.
“We also challenge Senator Ekwunife to stick to the line of the argument and bring verifiable proofs that her Degree and PhD certificates are said to be fake are actually real.”
The statement rather challenged Ekwunife to explain to Anambra people her role in the Mbadinuju administration, which was said to be partly the reason it failed.
“We, therefore, urge Senator Ekwunife to stop swinging the conversation and focus solely on explaining to Ndi Anambra her involvement in the political disaster of the state between 1999 and 2003.”
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