Ebelechukwu Obiano, wife of the immediate past governor of Anambra State Willie Obiano, has apologised for her clash with former diplomat Bianca Ojukwu during the inauguration of Prof Charles Soludo as Anambra governor last Thursday.
Mrs Obiano was quoted by a group known as Justice and Accountability For All to have apologised to Soludo and attendees of the inauguration.
The group added that Obiano’s wife said no excuse could be made for being slapped at the event.
“Those who know me can testify that before and throughout my eight years as the First Lady of State, I pursued peace, promoted philanthropic gestures which empowered many of our less privileged people. No excuse can therefore be tenable as justification for such public embarrassment, no matter the height of provocation,” she was quoted to have said in a statement on Wednesday signed by the group’s national coordinator John Ifeanyi and secretary Camela Jude.
“Equally, I wish to extend the same apology to all the important dignitaries, the people of Anambra State, as well as the entire Ndigbo for that unintended embarrassment at the occasion.”
The group, however, berated Bianca, who is also the widow of Igbo leader Odumegwu Ojukwu, for the incident, urging her to publicly apologise for “physically assaulting” Mrs Obiano.
Bianca had earlier said she slapped Mrs Obiano because the latter tried to take off her headtie which is a sacrilege in Igbo culture when such is done to a matriach with traditional title.
“The wife of Ikemba (Ojukwu) should be virtuous; she should possess the highest mentality of a mother of Ndigbo nation, a role model to young and old; she should be the worthiest example of womanhood, commanding respect, honour and dignity in private and public places, something larger than life image of her husband, the legend. But no, not Bianca,” the group said.
