Former Anambra State governor, and presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Obi has said that he would not engage in war of words with the current governor of the state, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo.

Obi was reacting to controversy trailing shares he bought with Anambra State government funds with Sabmiller breweries, as part of his savings for the state, during his tenure.

There has been controversy over the true worth of the shares bought by Obi, with some supporters of Obi inflating the worth of the shares, to give Obi credit.

But in a statement, the Anambra State government clarified that the true worth of the shares depended on the current exchange rate of the dollars, while also saying that the shares were worth $3.7million or $5.7million in the parallel market, and this is far less the inflated worth.

But Obi while reacting to the development through his media aide, Mr. Valentine Obienyem, yesterday denied that the fake news on the inflated worth of the shares did not emanate from him.

He told Soludo to purge his mind of the perception that the Labour Party presidential candidate was fighting his government, stating that on the contrary, Obi was ready to work to ensure his success.

Obienyem while addressing Soludo urged him to differentiate between comments from supporters of Obi from those of Obi’s media office, saying:

Anyone fighting Soludo at this early stage of his tenure is simply being inconsiderate and insensitive, I urge you to always sieve everyday reactions by people from the reaction from Mr. Obi’s official camp.

Anybody supporting Obi that fights you is on his own. I say this with all sincerity, especially knowing the brief I personally received from Mr. Peter Obi on this. Obi is ready to offer any support that will redeem our state and set it on the path of progress again.

The statement added:

When the news of the multiplication of Obi’s investment in SABMiller was published, I knew it did not come from you. I personally made it clear that it was not circulated by Obi’s Media, but probably by one of the youths, not under our control, but eager to throw in anything that glorified their hero – Obi.

Speaking about the recent clarification on the true worth of the shares, Obienyem said:

I read the recent rebuttal by your Commissioner on the subject, what do I say about it? I only want to assure you that the Obi’s camp is supporting you. We want you to succeed and cannot be part of any plot against you.

Some people are angry because we have chosen to identify with you; it is about time they realised that our only interest is recovering the eight years of retrogression.

Benin Traditional Council Flays Edo Govt’s Withdrawal of Criminal Charges against Ogiamen Chieftaincy ClaimantAdibe Emenyonu in Benin City.

Benin Chiefs and Enigies yesterday took exception to the withdrawal of criminal charges by Edo State Government against Arisco Rich Osemwingie, who is laying claims to the Ogiamien chieftaincy title in Benin Kingdom.

Addressing newsmen in Benin City, the Benin Palace Chiefs and Enigies led by the Iyase of Benin, Chief Sam Igbe said,

the Benin’s both at home and in the diaspora have been very angry over the withdrawal of the criminal case against the said Rich Arisco Osemwingie and one other.

Igbe who frowned at the withdrawal of the case by the Edo state government via a publication from the office of the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, noted that the Osemwingie was not an Ogiamien.

We want to hereby state categorically, that the said Mr. Rich Arisco Osemwingie is not Ogiamien. He has no locus standi to claim or be addressed as Ogiamien neither has he any right to the title of Ogiamien of Benin Kingdom. We are told that his relationship with the Ogiamien family is maternal and not paternal, hence he has no right to, or say, in the Ogiamien chieftaincy title.

Igbe said.

The Iyase noted that there was no proper consultation with the Oba of Benin Palace before the withdrawal of the criminal case.

He further stated that Chief Osarobo Ogiamien, remains the existing Ogiamien of Benin Kingdom, stressing that, the family of Ogiamien has not informed the Palace of his demise.

We, the Benin Chiefs and Enigies will like to reiterate that the said Mr. Rich Arisco Osemwingie and one other committed a sacrilegious offence against the Benin Customs and Traditions and have been adjudged enemies of the Benin Palace and the Benin people in general.

The Edo state government has withdrawn the said criminal charges against Mr. Rich Arisco Osemwingie, but after due consideration, we hereby demand that Mr. Rich Arisco Osemwingie should tender unreserved apology to the Benin people in at least three (3) national newspaper and pledge his unalloyed loyalty to our only and indivisible Benin Throne, which is the Oba of Benin. This apology should be Made within a reasonable time,

he said.

Justin Nwosu

Justin Nwosu is the founder and publisher of Flavision. His core interest is in writing unbiased news about Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. He’s a strong adherent of investigative journalism, with a bent on exposing corruption, abuse of power and societal ills.