Fourteen years on, details have emerged on how the appointment of Professor Chukwuma Soludo as Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor in 2004 led to a feud between President Olusegun Obasanjo and his deputy, Atiku Abubakar.
Soludo’s appointment had reportedly caused a bitter disagreement between Obasanjo and Atiku, as the former Vice President had reportedly assured his long-time ally and Managing Director of the now defunct Habib Bank, Akin Kekere-Ekun of the plum banking job.
Aside Kekere-Ekun, the resume of two other top bankers were on Obasanjo’s table. On the card was Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) founder Mr. Fola Adeola and former MD of NAL Merchant bank, Mallam Isa Yuguda. At the time, Yuguda was the serving Minister of Aviation.
Pointblanknews.com gathered that Atiku had presented Kekere-Ekun’s CV to his boss, and was waiting for the announcement of his nominee for the CBN top job. At about the same time, Kekere-Ekun’s wife, Kudirat, was appointed a judge of the Court of Appeal.
However, unknown to the Vice President, President Obasanjo’s powerful Special Assistant on Domestic Affairs, Andy Uba had taken a special liking for Prof. Soludo, who at the time was Chief Economic Adviser to the President. Knowing fully well that Soludo was from the same Aguata, Andy collected his “brother’s” CV for consideration.
Obasanjo had in May 1999, appointed Joseph Oladele Sanusi, Managing Director of First Bank of Nigeria, CBN governor. Sanusi took over from Paul Ogwuma, a retired MD of Union Bank.
Villa sources at the time told Pointblanknews.com that Obasanjo initially rejected Soludo’s nomination on the ground that he was an economist. The president reportedly held that he wanted to maintain the tradition of appointing bank CEOs as CBN governor.
Reportedly undaunted, Andy Uba frantically researched and established that the President of Deutsche Bundesbank (or German Federal Bank) at the time was an economist, not a banker.
“When Andy brought a printed copy of proof that the President of the German Federal Bank was an economist, Baba promptly approved Soludo’s appointment as CBN governor,” disclosed the source.
She continued , “There however was one problem. And that was how to deal with Atiku and the Kekere-Ekun nomination. Baba summoned the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF),the now late Uffot Ekaette.
“Andy brought his brother Chukwuma Soludo to be CBN governor. But I don’t want any wahala with Turaki (Atiku) who has his own candidate. You know I’m travelling tomorrow. Once we are airborne, go ahead and announce the appointment”, the source quoted President Obasanjo as directing the SGF.
Shortly after Soludo’s appointment, he organized five traditional rulers from Aguata to lead him to thank Andy Uba for the appointment.
Political pundits claimed they noticed the cracks in the relationship between Obasanjo and Atiku widened after Soludo’s appointment.
One official at the time swore that Soludo’s appointment greatly hurt Atiku politically since, according to the official “it was one of the rude awakenings that things were no longer the same.”
The frosty relationship got to a head in the buil-up to the 2007 elections when Atiku defected to the opposition Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), and ran against his boss’ and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Alhaji Umaru Musa YarAdua.
Pointblanknews.com further gathered that no sooner had Soludo been appointed CBN governor than he began began nursing a governorship ambition.
“Soludo began by stopping to call Andy who facilitated his appointment. When in late 2006 he realized that Andy was going to run for the governorship of Anambra State, without consultations, Soludo backed one of his boys, Chike Ayaonu, to represent Aguata in the House of Representatives” noted an Aguata politician.
“Andy is a calm man. He didn’t fight Soludo, but simply allowed Chike Ayaonu pick the PDP ticket. However, to teach Soludo a bitter lesson, Andy picked one Chukwuma Umeoji of Labour Party. Of course, Soludo’s boy Anyaonu, though of PDP, suffered a crushing defeat in the hands of LP’s Umeoji,” explained the poitician, adding, “that’s probably why Soludo has remained bitter.”
Ironically, Andy Uba and Charles Soludo have both left the PDP, choosing to lock political horns in the Anambra State Governorship elections slated for November 6, 2021 from different platforms.
While Andy Uba is the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Charles Soludo is flying the All Progressives’ Grand Alliance (APGA) flag.