By Charles Kumolu

AWKA— Former    governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has said he would not join issues with Informations and Communication Minister, Prof. Dora Akunyili, over the ugly incident that trailed his mother-in-law’s burial in Anambra State penultimate weekend.

The minister had alleged last week that political thugs loyal to Soludo, who was Peoples Democratic Party’s gubernatorial candidate in the last governorship elections in the state, harrassed her guests who turned out for the burial of the deceased, who was her own sister.

Asks Akunyili to look elsewhere for excuses

But speaking through his Media Assistant, Mr Bonaventure Melah, Professor Soludo debunked Akunyili’s claims, asking her to find another excuse to explain her role during her sister’s funeral.
Melah also noted that Prof.  Soludo was still in mournful mood, adding that he would not personally join issues with Dora until he finished one month of mourning.

He said: “Our attention has been drawn to the rather outlandish and childish accusations by Prof. Dora Akunyili against Prof. Chukwuma C. Soludo, and which were widely published in several newspapers and internet sites, and also broadcast through the electronic media. Dora Akunyili was quoted as alleging that Soludo’s thugs prevented her from attending her sister’s burial/funeral and also followed her to her father’s village in Nanka.

He said “Dora Akunyili knows more than she was willing to tell the public. She knows about her age-long quarrels with members of her family and her elder sister. Her age- long quarrels with her late sister are also public knowledge and her late sister personally told their stories to lots of people in Anambra State several years back. They had nothing to do with neither Soludo nor the 2010 elections. Dora did not talk about her desperate attempts to disrupt the burial/funeral by attempting to organise a parallel funeral site beside her sister’s compound (which is an abomination).”