…Mrs. Soludo and Senator Ekwunife Trade Insults, DNA and Infidelity Claims
By Jeremy Fregene
Nigeria’s political space was shaken at the weekend as a bitter personal feud erupted between Nonye Soludo, wife of Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo, and Senator Uche Ekwunife, the All Progressives Congress (APC) deputy governorship candidate in the state’s November 8 election. What began as a dispute over academic credentials has spiralled into public accusations of infidelity, paternity challenges, and foul personal insults, prompting observers to warn that once again, politics in Anambra is being dragged through the mud.
The row traces back to Governor Soludo’s reelection campaign, during which he cast doubt on the authenticity of Senator Ekwunife’s PhD and secondary school certificates, claiming that the foreign university she listed was not accredited in the United States or recognised by Nigeria’s National Universities Commission. Ekwunife, in a video reply delivered in Igbo, fired back by branding Soludo “the dirtiest governor in Africa,” accusing him of bad personal hygiene and urging his wife to buy him deodorant.
The exchange escalated dramatically when Mrs. Soludo issued a statement accusing Ekwunife of fabricating lies to damage her family. In a blistering challenge, she dared the senator to submit her children to DNA testing in three London hospitals, with Mrs. Soludo pledging to foot the bill. She also demanded that both women swear public oaths of chastity in a Catholic cathedral, vowing that she herself had only ever known her husband.
Ekwunife swiftly replied with another statement, dismissing the First Lady’s accusations as misdirected and insisting she owed no explanation over her children to anyone except her husband. “If Soludo demands a DNA test, let her go ahead and do it to prove her innocence,” she said, adding that “Caesar’s wife should live above suspicion.” She also belittled Mrs. Soludo’s accomplishments, describing her as a mere housewife, while touting her own achievements without her husband holding political office.
Observers and political analysts expressed dismay at the spectacle, warning that the feud has overshadowed substantive debate in a state election already fraught with tension. According to them, the descent into name-calling, personal insults, and allegations of infidelity signals a collapse of civility in public discourse. “This is a dangerous distraction,” one analyst said. “Instead of debating governance, security, or development, the campaign is degenerating into a theatre of scandal.”
Critics also warn that the public nature of the fight, complete with videos, counter-statements, and religious oaths, could diminish the credibility of both women and cast a shadow over the governorship race itself. Some political watchers fear that the spectacle risks alienating voters and undermining Anambra’s image nationally.
“Observers are aghast that two leading political figures have allowed personal grievances to spiral into a dirty war that ridicules not only their families but the entire state,” one source told KTH Daily.