Bianca Ojukwu, Ebele Obiano, ‘dirty slap’ and the comedian in us

By RITA DOMINIC MICHAELS

The public fight between former beauty queen, Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu, and Mrs. Ebelechukwu Obiano, wife of immediate past governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, may no longer be news but the dust will surely take time to settle due to the personalities involved and the stage where the unexpected physical combat took place.

Also of interest is the entertainment value of the show of shame, which has brought out the comedian in several commentators.

Have you been following the fallouts of the unexpected big fight which almost marred the inauguration of Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo as the new governor of Anambra State?

Well, I have, and I find some of the reactions hilarious. One of them is the one that says: “Nothing is easy in Nigeria again. Even to receive a slap, you need to leave your seat to get it from the giver’s seat”.

Now, that is not only funny but also gives an idea of how the drama unfolded. In case you’ve not been following the story of the week, this is what happened:

Midway into Soludo’s inauguration at the Agu-Awka Government House on Thursday, March 17, 2022, Ebele walked over to where Bianca was seated. Verbal exchanges soon degenerated into a fight.

Initial reports said it was Mrs. Obiano that first slapped Bianca but the former ambassador and one-time beauty queen confirmed video evidence that it was her who first slapped her when provoked.

However, Bianca cleared the air via a statement she issued the next day.

Bianca, wife of late Igbo legend, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, said and I quote: “I didn’t pay any attention to her arrival. Surprisingly, she then walked towards me and I thought she was coming to greet me. Instead she verbally attacked me with her voice raised, taunting me and asking me what I was there to do, 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 on aggressively putting her hand on my shoulders and shouting.

“While I ignored her verbal onslaught as advised by people sitting around me, I requested twice that she refrains from touching me with her hands. She proceeded to do so yet again and tried to touch my head and remove my head tie. It was at this point I stood up to defend myself and gave her a dirty slap to stop her from attacking me. As she made towards me, I then pulled away her wig, she then held on to her wig with her two hands and tried to take the wig away from me.

“The former APGA chairman, Victor Umeh, told her to leave me and told everyone to leave. I was stunned by the stench of whisky in her breath at such an early hour of the day.”

“How could the first lady be so drunk at that time? I stayed back to watch the ceremony till the end and left with my dignity intact,” Bianca added.

Mrs. Obiano was yet to give her version of what happened as at the time of this report.