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Former Nigerian Ambassador to Spain and widow of the late Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Bianca, has explained why she slapped the immediate past first lady, Ebele Obiano at the inauguration of the new Anambra State governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo in Awka, the state capital on Thursday.
The two women had engaged in a spat at the ceremony, momentarily disrupting proceedings at the event.
Reports from the event on Thursday had revealed how Ebele walked into the ceremony at about 10.55 am and moved towards the spot where her husband sat but was stopped by Bianca. Ebele, in reaction, appeared to nudge Bianca’s shoulder while the latter appeared to slap her, removing her headgear in the ensuing scuffle.
Setting the records straight yesterday, Bianca said she slapped Ebele in self defence after the latter attempted to remove her headgear in public.
She explained that she ignored several provocative verbal and physical assaults from the former first lady.
Bianca, a member of the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the All Progressives Grand Allaince (APGA), said: “As the inaugural ceremonies for Prof. Charles Soludo and his deputy began and all guests were seated, the Former First Lady of Anambra State, Mrs Ebele Obiano, was noticeably absent.
“She then arrived some one-and-a-half hours later while the ceremony was on. I didn’t pay any particular attention to her arrival.
“Surprisingly, she walked towards me and I thought she was coming to greet me. Instead, when she got to where I was seated, she verbally attacked me with her voice raised, taunting me and asking me what I was there to do and using unprintable vile language.
“She asked if I had come to celebrate their last day in office. But I ignored her completely. Then she kept aggressively putting her hands on my shoulders and shouting.
“While I ignored her verbal onslaught, as advised by those sitting around me, I requested twice that she refrained from touching me with her hands. She proceeded to do so yet again and went further to grab my headtie, which she attempted unsuccessfully to remove.
“This very act is considered a sacrilege to a titled matriarch such as myself in Igbo culture. It was at this point that I stood up to defend myself and gave her a dirty slap to stop her from attacking me.
“As she made towards me, I pulled away her wig. She held on to her wig with her two hands and tried to take the wig away from me.
“The former APGA chairman, Umeh (Chief Victor Umeh), told her to leave me and told APGA members that had gathered at the spot to lead her away, which they did and took her to the seat next to her husband, Chief Willie Obiano, who sat through the entire episode completely speechless.
“It is unfortunate that she threw all caution to the wind and imported this kind of melodrama to a state ceremony.
“This was highly embarrassing to the Governor who left the venue almost immediately, taking her along with him.
“Luckily, this did not disrupt the proceedings and I stayed back to witness the ceremony to the end after which we were treated to a sumptuous reception at the Government House.”
Ebele must appease the gods, she desecrated Awka land – Monarch
Reacting to the incident in a press statement, the Obi of Awka Ancient Kingdom, His Imperial Majesty, the Eze Uzu III of Awka, Obi Austin Ndigwe, said that Ebele committed a sacrilege by fighting the widow of the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu.
In the said statement, the monarch gave Ebele seven days to publicly apologise to the entire Igbo people or face serious consequences.
He said because the wife of the former governor committed a sacrilege by physically assaulting Ojukwu’s widow, he as the monarch of the town would have to appease the gods of Awka land to avoid calamities.
The monarch also said: “She should also tender an unreserved apology to the new governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, for her disgraceful conduct during his inauguration.
“The same should go for the chief judge of the state who was conducting the swearing-in when she descended.
“This grave sin was committed in the land of Awka which is known for peace and unity. Therefore, as the traditional ruler of the people and chief custodian of our culture, I am under obligation to perform some sacrifices to cleanse our land of this filth and pollution and to appease the gods.”
The monarch said he had spoken with Bianca after the incident and she told him that what angered her was that Mrs Obiano walked up to her and called her unprintable names and queried her presence at the swearing-in ceremony.
He said Ebele’s action was not only against Bianca but against the spirit of her late husband and founder of the APGA who Bianca came to represent.
Ndigwe said: “It must be pointed out that Bianca was not at that ceremony as Bianca, but as a direct representative of our late father and leader, Chief Odumegwu Ojukwu, her late husband who pioneered APGA.
“Therefore, Ebele’s action of casting aspersion on her is an affront on the entire Igbo people. It was indeed on Odumegwu Ojukwu and not on Bianca as a person.
“This is an insult to Igbo and it must not go unpunished.
“It is on record that I took Obiano and his wife, Ebele, to Bianca Ojukwu where they knelt down while seeking the party’s governorship ticket.
“Bianca endorsed Obiano and called on all APGA members including then Governor Peter Obi to support him.
“Mrs Ebele Obiano has only seven days to apologise as demanded and directed or face serious consequences.”
MASSOB describes fight as disgraceful to womanhood
The Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) yesterday described the face-off between Bianca and Ebele as a very unfortunate and disgraceful incident.
Reacting in a statement made available to newsmen in Owerri, MASSOB leader Comrade Uchenna Madu said the two women ought to be role models to others instead of engaging in such a shameful act.
He said the open confrontation was a disgrace to womanhood considering the respect commanded by the two women in the region.
“These two magnified, exalted and praise worshipped women are wrong. They couldn’t exercise restraints.
“Because of the deep hatred and cold war between them, they suddenly forgot what they represent in Anambra State and Igbo land in general.
“Every day is for the thief but one day is for the owner.
“When a sane person in nakedness pursues a mad person that collected his clothes in the street, the public view simply means that the two persons are mad people,” Madu said.”
