The rift between Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano, and his predecessor, Chief Peter Obi, yesterday, took another dimension as the duo engaged in a war of words.
There has been a cold war between the duo even before the inauguration of Obiano a year ago. But yesterday, the jinx of silence on Obiano’s side was broken with his media aides returning fire for fire and warning the former governor to stop igniting the fire of discord and war in the state.
Reacting to comments by the media aide to Obi, Mr. Val Obienyem, who accused Obiano of sponsoring the Igbo youths that staged a protest on Wednesday against the declared results of the National Assembly election in the state, the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) Media, to Governor Obiano, Mr. James Eze, said it was unfortunate that after failing at the national politics level, Obi has returned to Anambra State, where he allegedly ruled with iron hand for eight years, to create crisis.
He said: “We are horrified that what has been a silent proxy war, launched by the shadowy agents of former governor Obi, on the social media against Governor Obiano has finally taken a bold physical shape with Mr. Valentine Obienyem, his media aide, directly accusing Governor Obiano of instigating crisis in the state he presides over as the Chief Security Officer.”
We feel strongly restrained to respond to Mr. Obienyem’s accusations on behalf of his boss, Chief Peter Obi, because we hold him in high esteem as the first APGA governor in Anambra State.
“We are surprised that anyone in his right mind would drag the name of the governor of Anambra State into a demonstration staged by aggrieved Igbo youths to register their complaints over the handling of the March 28, 2015 National Assembly election in the state. It smacks of mischief for Val Obienyem to point a feeble finger at Governor Obiano without adducing any evidence to substantiate his allegations.
“We are embarrassed that the Obi’s camp has shown scant respect for the office of the Governor of Anambra State, which he occupied for eight years and enjoyed the high regard that is usually associated with it.
“We are disappointed that after failing to make any impression whatsoever in national politics, Obienyem and his boss have returned to the state they ruled with an iron hand for eight long years to create disharmony and threaten the peaceful atmosphere that Ndi Anambra have enjoyed in the past one year.”
However, Eze restated the state government’s “respect for the person of former governor Peter Obi for leaving a foundation of good governance in Anambra State, which Governor Obiano is building upon to evolve a new and better Anambra State.”
