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From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
The Igbo Heroes and Icons Foundation (IHIF) has called for unity among Ndigbo, urging Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, and former Governor Peter Obi to sheathe their swords over the growing dispute concerning the state’s financial records and governance legacy.
The foundation, through its National Coordinator, Hon. Chinedu Nsofor, made the appeal in a statement issued to journalists in Owerri.
It said whatever political differences existed between the two prominent Anambra indigenes should not become a permanent source of division among the Igbo.
According to the foundation, although Soludo and Obi occupy different political positions, belong to different political traditions and are entitled to their choices, the political future of Ndigbo should be considered beyond individual personalities and political parties.
The group said it was concerned about claims relating to loans and financial obligations allegedly inherited from the Obi administration, stressing that such issues should be resolved through documentary evidence rather than political exchanges.
It noted that the Debt Management Office (DMO) maintains official records of federal and state external debt, including records as of December 31, 2013, but cautioned that aggregate debt figures should not automatically be interpreted as loans personally obtained by a governor.
Citing World Bank documentation on the Malaria Control Booster Project, the foundation said the Federal Government was listed as the borrower, while states were implementation beneficiaries.
It therefore stressed that participation in a federally negotiated programme was different from personal borrowing by a governor.
The group called for a comprehensive public reconciliation of the relevant records, including the original financing agreement, legal borrower, implementing agency, amount approved and actually disbursed, amount received by Anambra State, repayment structure, outstanding balance at the point of transition, subsequent payments and current balance.
The foundation said while Soludo had the right to examine past financial records and Obi had the right to respond, accountability would be more credible when supported by verifiable records.
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“Where figures are disputed, the answer should be verification. Where documents conflict, the answer should be reconciliation,” it said.
The foundation said the disagreement should not overshadow the broader question of the collective political future of Ndigbo within Nigeria.
It described its advocacy for an Igbo presidency as a call for political inclusion and democratic participation, rather than a demand for exclusion.
According to the group, the aspiration for an Igbo presidency should be viewed as a long-term objective beyond political party affiliations, noting that an Igbo candidate could emerge from the APC, PDP, Labour Party, ADC, NDC, APGA or any other platform.
“Peter Obi is not synonymous with the Igbo Presidency. Chukwuma Soludo is not synonymous with the Igbo Presidency. No individual should be regarded as synonymous with it. The aspiration should survive individual political careers,” the foundation stated.
It also cited a 2026 position attributed to the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum, comprising Afenifere, Middle Belt Forum, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide and PANDEF, that the presidency should remain in the South after 2027, as evidence that regional political balance remained part of the national conversation.
The foundation warned against turning political disagreements into personal hostility, saying an Igbo supporting the APC should not be regarded as anti-Igbo, just as support for the Labour Party should not be presented as the only authentic Igbo political voice.
Its message, it said, was that political differences should not become personal enmity.
The foundation appealed to Soludo and Obi to end personal exchanges, allow documentary evidence to determine facts about Anambra’s financial history, publish and reconcile loan records, respect each other’s contributions, discourage supporters from personal attacks and place the long-term interests of Anambra and Ndigbo above temporary political disputes.
“The Igbo Presidency is bigger than Peter Obi. It is bigger than Soludo. It is bigger than APGA, Labour Party, PDP, APC or any platform. Political parties will come and go, candidates will come and go, but the Igbo people will remain,” Nsofor said.
“Let the documents speak. Let accountability remain accountability. Let party affiliation remain a democratic choice. And let brotherhood remain brotherhood,” he added.
