By Christian ABURIME
The popular quote “When they go low, we go high”, attributed to former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama during the 2016 Democratic National Convention, has become a moral compass in political and public discourse. It emphasizes responding to hostility, personal attacks, or divisive rhetoric with dignity, integrity and higher ethical standards in a political environment often charged with needless acrimony.
These days in Nigeria, stakeholders come to expect a certain level of mudslinging, character assassination, and theatrical accusations by desperados, especially when elections draw closer.
It is, regrettably, part of the playbook. However, even by these degraded standards, the recent wild, reckless, and baseless allegations made by the Anambra State APC deputy governorship candidate, Uche Ekwunife, against the First Lady of Anambra State, Dr. Nonye Soludo, represent a profoundly disgusting new low.
This is not just a political attack, it’s a calculated, misogynistic assault by a fellow woman designed to score cheap political points and inflict personal affront by dragging a woman of impeccable virtue through the mud. It is a tactic born of desperation, devoid of evidence, and utterly contemptible. Against this backdrop of vile innuendo, it is imperative to stand firmly in defence of a First Lady whose life has been a tribute to decency, modesty, and uncompromising integrity.
Dr. Nonye Soludo is not a politician. She is a professional, an entrepreneur, a philanthropist, a devout Christian, and above all, a dedicated wife and mother. To understand the absurdity of Uche Ekwunife’s allegations, which are said to have become her stock-in-trade against any political opponents, one must first understand the woman she seeks to tarnish. According to the First Lady’s own infallible defence statement, for 33 years since being married, she has stood faithfully by her husband, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, CFR, not as a silent accessory but as a pillar of strength, support, and shared values. Their marriage, built on a foundation of mutual respect, faith, and love, has weathered various seasons, from the heights of his celebrated international career to the intense pressures of public service. Through it all, her character has been her constant currency.
Now, to suggest that a woman who has built a life of such consistent moral fortitude would suddenly be “tainted with indecency” is not just false; it is intellectually and morally bankrupt on the part of Uche Ekwunife. It insults the intelligence of every Anambra citizen. Dr. Soludo’s public persona is more than an extension of her private life. Her “Healthy Living” campaign is not a political gimmick; it is a lifestyle she embodies, a philosophy rooted in spiritual, physical, and moral cleanliness. She advocates for family values because she lives them. She speaks of modesty because she practises it. She promotes faith because it is the bedrock of her existence.
Ekwunife’s attack is a classic case of political projection, attempting to smear a pristine reputation to obscure one’s own inadequacies and to distract from the glaring lack of a substantive campaign message. When you have no viable plan for the people, you resort to peddling lies about their leaders. It is a coward’s strategy at its worst.
For Uche Ekwunife, a woman who has been known for all sorts of indignity for years, to be the one levelling this specifically gendered attack is doubly disappointing. It betrays a troubling willingness to undermine the dignity of womanhood for political gain. It sends a message that even women in power are not above using the most toxic stereotypes to destroy other women. This is not feminism; it is its antithesis.
The Soludos have presented Anambra with a model of a modern, supportive, and functional family unit. Theirs are a reflection of a well-guided home. To tear at the fabric of this family with baseless allegations of infidelity is to attack the very social values we claim to hold dear in Anambra. It is an insult to the office of the Governor, the dignity of the First Family, and the sensibilities of Ndi Anambra who can distinguish between rancorous politics and honourable leadership.
We must call this out for what it is: cheap, unsubstantiated verbiage unworthy of a deputy governorship candidate. There is not a shred of evidence provided because there is none to be found. There is nothing, no credible evidence, no history of scandal, because such things do not exist in the world of Dr. Nonye Soludo.
In the court of public opinion, her 33-year record of fidelity, her dedicated service to humanity, and her unceasing commitment to her family endure as an unassailable testimony. These desperate allegations will fade into the obscurity they deserve, remembered only as a shameful footnote in this election cycle. But the character of Dr. Nonye Soludo, the decent woman, the faithful wife, the caring mother, and the compassionate advocate we all know, will endure long after this political storm has passed.
Ndi Anambra must reject this politics of toxicity and demand better. We must defend the decency that should be the hallmark of our public discourse. And we must unequivocally state that some reputations, built over a lifetime of integrity, are not so easily tarnished by the grubby hands of political desperation.
