Did Ebele Obiano slap Bianca Ojukwu, or vice versa?

Are we still in March, the month with the International Day for women? Some would say the entire month of March is the month for women. Well, it seems women are choosing to #BreakTheBias in ways that are interesting, for lack of a better word. You may have heard about the scuffle/altercation that occurred at the inauguration of Prof. Charles Soludo as the new governor of Anambra State on Thursday. Governor Soludo was elected on the platform of APGA, All Progressives Grand Alliance. Just in case you haven’t heard, the scuffle was between Mrs Ebele Obiano and Mrs Bianca Ojukwu. Ebele Obiano is the wife of Willie Obiano, the immediate past governor of Anambra State while Bianca Ojukwu is the widow of Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, the ex-Biafran leader and founder of APGA.

There are so many stories flying around about what led to the scuffle and who slapped who. What’s clear from the short video clips making the rounds is that Ebele Obiano it was who walked, no scratch that, she was almost skipping with glee as she went up to Bianca Ojukwu who was seated on the opposite side. Ebele Obiano, Anambra’s former first lady appeared to have touched Bianca somehow when she got to where Bianca was seated. Bianca got up and there was some confusion at this point as Mrs Obiano takes a step back, wig askew, people stepped in to separate the two women. There may have been one or two slaps. Things get heated and at this point, some guy shouted on the media to switch off their cameras and to stop recording. Not before Mrs Obiano shouted ‘ashawo’ (prostitute) at Bianca as she went to sit beside her husband who had been sitting alone as Ebele Obiano hadn’t arrived with her him. In fact, she had been seated somewhere else as he had arrived earlier and had been sitting alone. And I almost forgot, there was one man wearing a red cap (quite a few people were wearing red caps at the event) who grabbed and held onto Bianca ostensibly to ‘separate’ the fight. The man held on as if for dear life, a tad too long.

This story of the slap or no slap, or who slapped who has caught the attention of Nigerians as the story has now developed a life of its own almost overshadowing the inauguration. As per usual, opinion is divided as people watch and talk about the occurrence as if it’s a telenovela drama. There are those asking: How could Lady Bianca stoop so low as to be slapping a fellow woman at such an important event? A whole former ambassador? There are also those latching onto the fact that earlier reports had said it was Ebele Obiano who slapped Bianca to criticise the media. Well, most of the people I follow on social media seem to be Team Bianca or anti-Ebele Obiano. This can mean different things as being anti-Ebele doesn’t automatically translate to being Team Bianca.

I understand the anti-Ebele sentiments, but I don’t condone violence, privately or publicly. Be that as it may, with the little I’ve seen of Mrs Ebele Obiano in the media, it’s difficult to be on her side except if of course it’s your job or there’s some other pecuniary reason. Ebele Obiano it was who at the height of COVID 19 shared a video of herself getting the COVID vaccine all the way in America. This was a time Nigeria hadn’t yet received the vaccine. The issue is not her getting the COVID vaccine. I mean if there was an opportunity to protect herself, I cannot really blame her for choosing that option. The issue was her insensitivity to the plight of millions of Anambra State citizens and other Nigerians who had no options. Why did she think sharing her picture taking the vaccine was a good idea? It’s more likely she didn’t care if the way she walked over to Bianca Ojukwu is any indication. 

The only other time I noticed Mrs Ebele Obiano was when she wore some outrageous Gucci sunglasses to the funeral mass for Pa Onyema, father to Allen Onyema, Air Peace CEO, in 2019. Those glasses reportedly cost $2,755 (about N995, 932.50 in 2019 but now at least 1.5 million). There are all kinds of stories of Mrs Ebele Obiano being in the habit of slapping people herself.  And if stories are to be believed she was quite highhanded as the first lady, even as wife to her husband. But are all these enough for Mrs Obiano to have suffered such humiliation? Although we can’t forget that she “carried her 2 legs” herself to receive the slap or no slap.

As I said, I don’t condone violence. I’m curious to know the outcome of this public fracas though. A friend was angry that this matter won’t be investigated further, and people possibly fined. This friend also said that in a working system, relevant organs will swing into action as they get to the root of this matter. Instead, it’s all turning to ‘banter,’ as usual. It appears nothing is going to be done. In other news, ex-governor Willie Obiano was arrested Thursday evening by the EFCC (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission) on his way to the US.  I suppose like this arrest of her husband, Mrs Ebele Obiano may soon start learning very fast what life as an ordinary citizen means.