While March 17 remains indelible in the minds of the Anambra people as it marks an anniversary for any government in the state saddle, it also calls to mind a shameful and infamous occurrence right inside the State Government House, Awka.
It was March 17, 2022, and all guests were duly seated at the Government House for the inauguration of Professor Chukwuma Soludo’s administration. Professor Chukwuma Soludo took over from the then-outgoing governor, Chief Willie Maduaburochukwu Obiano.
The outgoing governor, true to his class, had arrived at the venue in style, preceded by police power bike riders and a horse train.
He had successfully taken his last salute from the colour parte and guard of honour mounted for him, after which the opening prayer was said by the Archbishop of the Onitsha Catholic Archdiocese, Most Reverend Valerian Okeke.
After the protocol recognition by the Master of Ceremony, Chief Chido Obidiegwu, the incoming governor had mounted the podium to take the oath of office.
All was going well until now, with the outgoing Governor, legs crossed, basking in his usual ego, resonating in his fine sense of dressing and relaxed composure. He felt accomplished!
And from the blues, the wife of the outgoing governor, Mrs Ebelechukwu Obiano, who had entered stealthily into the event and was seated close to the then speaker of the State House of Assembly, Right Hon. Uche Okafor, appeared, walked briskly to the wife of former Biafran Warlord, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Lady Bianca Ojukwu.
As was captured in a video, Mrs Obiano touched Bianca and muttered some demeaning words.
This infuriated the ever-radiant Bianca, who sprang to her feet in a scorpion-like manner. She slapped the outgoing first lady and pulled the wig off her head, leaving her struggling to apply back a beauty that took hours to fix hurriedly.
Some media aides of the outgoing governor shouted, ‘All Cameras down’ amidst this, although the moment had been captured.
It took the intervention of many to quell what would have turned into a full-blown fight, notably, the present Managing Director of the Anambra State Housing Development Commission, Mr. Chike Anyaonu, whose firm embrace of Bianca, not only stopped her from wreaking further havoc on the outgoing first lady but left many admirers of Bianca in total confusion as to the way forward.
While all these happened, Obiano sat calmly on his chair, in a composed pose, without uttering a word or taking an action! What disposition!
The ceremony would later continue, and Soludo was sworn in as Governor of Anambra State. Still, the incidents of that day left many attendees and even those who watched online with many questions about what the title ‘His or Her Excellency’ connotes.
Maybe that was why Soludo opted for the title ‘Mr Governor’ in the place of His Excellency.
Three years later, Bianca Ojukwu, now appointed Minister of State for Foreign Affairs by President Bola Tinubu, recounts the unsavory encounter with Mrs. Obiano.
She took to her Instagram handle, @biancaodumegwuojukwu, to pen a cryptic message that could be described as a depiction of bottled-up anger despite both ladies having moved on in their respective ventures.
She wrote, “Never turn your last day in office into a painful exit… As the saying goes, ‘Pink butterflies, especially those with oversized wings and inflated egos, must never fly too dangerously close to the flame.’
“Exactly on this day, 17th March, in 2022, a certain individual under the influence decided to put this adage to the test. Trouble dey sleep…”
The former first lady would rather never read reactions in the comment section. But the day has gone, and the parties involved will live with the memories.
Anambra people must choose which memory of March 17 they wish to keep.
If you ask me, Governor Soludo is making the people forget these negative incidents so soon.
