“The falcon must once again hear the falconer.” — Uche Nworah Calls on Igbo Elders to Step Into Growing Soludo–Peter Obi Drama

As the public exchange between Anambra State Governor, Professor Charles Soludo, and former Governor Peter Obi continues to generate intense reactions online, social media commentator Uche Nworah has made an urgent appeal to Igbo elders to intervene.

Nworah is calling on respected Igbo leaders to immediately engage both men and help address the issues now playing out publicly, urging dialogue before the situation attracts even greater attention.

“Are There No More Leaders in Igboland?”

The escalating war of words between the Anambra State Government and former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, has reached a point where one begins to wonder: Are there no more leaders in Igboland who can step in and de-escalate the situation?

It is getting out of hand. It has become increasingly embarrassing to read the debt-related claims, counterclaims and other comments emanating from the camps of the state government and that of the former governor.

Does Ohanaeze Ndigbo still exist? What role is it playing in fostering Igbo unity and resolving disagreements among prominent Igbo leaders? Where are respected elder statesmen such as Chief Emeka Anyaoku and Adazie Obosi? Can His Royal Majesty, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, the Obi of Onitsha (Agbogidi), not sue for peace?

Today is Sunday. Can our clergymen not mount the pulpit and call on the two brothers and their various supporters to sheathe their verbal swords in the interest of Anambra and Alaigbo?

Where are the Igbo falconers to call the falcons to order? Or, to borrow from Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, can the falcon no longer hear the falconer?

What exactly is being achieved by the current spectacle playing out across both social and traditional media?

The past few weeks have been embarrassing for Ndigbo. Two of our best and brightest have become subjects of endless beer-parlour debates and online conversations, and the exchanges do not appear likely to abate anytime soon.

The latest salvo came from the Anambra State Government through the Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Mr. Law Mefor, who argued, in response to Peter Obi, that government exists to improve the welfare of citizens, not merely to save money and earn interest.

One can expect a response from Obi’s camp. But the more important question is: For how long will these politically motivated brickbats continue?

TheCable, reporting the Anambra State Government’s position, wrote:

«“The Anambra government says Peter Obi, the former governor, prioritised savings in banks when the state was grappling with poverty, insecurity and major infrastructure deficits during his eight-year tenure.”»

The report further stated that Law Mefor accused Obi of concealing debts incurred by his administration from the handover note presented when he left office in 2014.

The matter has now taken another turn, with the First Lady of Anambra State, Dr. Nonye Soludo, issuing a statement on Saturday, September 26, 2026, in response to remarks credited to Peter Obi at the Nigerian Guild of Editors conference in Enugu.

Obi had reportedly said that he had no personal issues with Governor Chukwuma Soludo and referred to godparent relationships between the two families.

Mrs. Soludo subsequently clarified the nature of those relationships. According to her statement, Mr. Peter Obi is not a godfather to any of the Soludos’ children. Rather, Dr. Nonye Soludo is the confirmation godmother to Peter Obi’s daughter, while Mrs. Margaret Obi is the baptismal godmother to one of Professor Chukwuma Soludo’s daughters.

The statement suggested that Mr. Obi may simply have misspoken, but maintained that because his remarks had circulated widely and generated enquiries, it was necessary to clarify the record. Significantly, it also emphasised that the relationship between the two families remains cordial.

Clearly, therefore, there is a close relationship between the two families, whether through baptism, Catholic confirmation or years of personal association.

That makes the continuing public exchanges even more unfortunate.

There is room for legitimate disagreement over governance, public finance, debt, savings, infrastructure and political choices. Peter Obi has a right to defend the record of his administration. The Anambra State Government equally has a right to present its own account of the state’s finances and governance history. But surely, these disagreements can be conducted without allowing them to degenerate into an endless public feud.

At some point, elders must enter the room.

Igboland has respected traditional rulers, elder statesmen, religious leaders, intellectuals and socio-cultural institutions capable of quietly reaching out to both sides. Their intervention does not have to determine who is right or wrong. It should simply remind everyone involved that political disagreements need not become personal wars.

There are bigger challenges confronting Anambra State, the South-East and Nigeria.

The elders should urgently intervene, not to silence legitimate debate or scrutiny, but to encourage civility, restraint and reconciliation.

For the sake of Anambra State and the wider Igbo nation, the falcon must once again hear the falconer.