Crisis greeted the swearing-in ceremony of the new Governor of the state, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo as Obiano’s wife, Ebelechukwu, fought Bianca Ojukwu, the widow of the late Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu at the event.
The reason for the clash was not ascertained as of the time of filing this report.
But it was gathered that after Soludo was sworn in, Ebelechukwu walked to where Bianca was seated and immediately, both women engaged themselves in a fisticuff.
Anambra State governor-elect, Prof Chukwuma Soludo has officially been sworn-in as the fifth Governor of the state.
The event which took place at the Government House on Thursday, witnessed by several dignitaries, including the out-gone governor, Chief Willie Obiano and his wife, Mrs Ebelechukwu, Mrs Bianca Ojukwu and all the 30 members of the Anambra State House of Assembly.
The former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor took the oath of office alongside his deputy, Onyeka Ibezim before Chief Judge, Justice Onochie Anyachebelu at exactly 9:45am, at the Anambra State government house.
In his farewell speech, Obiano had thanked the state for the privilege to serve, asking for forgiveness from those he offended. According to him, his intentions were pure even though he might have stepped on some toes.
He believed in his eight-year stint, his administration delivered on his campaign promises.
In his inauguration speech, Soludo promised to make the state an economic hub, calling on sons and daughters of the state to work with him to achieve that goal.
Special dignitaries at the event included the National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Victor Oye and wife; Speaker of the Anambra State House of Assembly, Uchenna Okafor and wife; Sen. Victor Umeh and wife; Bianca Ojukwu, clergymen, traditional rulers among others.
Meanwhile, Thursday’s swearing-in was the culmination of a series of events leading to the handover. A day earlier, the former governor had handed over some state documents to the new leader.
The governor had earlier stated that immediately after swearing in, he would proceed to Okpoko, a sprawling slum, near Onitsha, where he would spend eight hours, working to provide a better living for the people.
However, the Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, has apologised to all Anambra people, friends, and guests who attended his inauguration for the momentary breach of protocol that happened during the event.
In a statement on Thursday, the Media Aide to Soludo, Joe Anatune, said the breach was caused by improper communication which arose from a personal issue between the two parties involved.
According to him, the breach which disrupted proceedings at the event happened after the wife of the former governor, Ebelechukwu Obiano, approached Mrs Bianca Ojukwu and muttered some words that led to fisticuffs. “Sadly, the fight took the shine off the main event of the day,” the statement read in part. Soludo said steps were being taken to resolve the misunderstanding and restore the parties to their previous relationship.