Peter Obi Denies Leaving Anambra Debts, Vows to End 2027 Campaign If Proven Wrong

Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has strongly rejected claims by the Anambra State Government that his administration left behind debts, including a ₦2 billion ecological loan, unpaid contractor liabilities, and salary, gratuity and pension arrears. In a statement posted on his verified X handle on Tuesday, Obi described the allegations as “completely false,” declaring that he would stop campaigning for the 2027 presidency if anyone could prove otherwise.

The controversy began after Anambra State Commissioner for Finance, Izuchukwu Okafor, said during a podcast that Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s administration was still servicing loans and other debts incurred by previous governments, including those of Obi and former Governor Willie Obiano. Okafor claimed monthly deductions were being made from the state’s Federation Account Allocation Committee funds to repay the inherited loans.

Responding directly, Obi said that at the point of handover in 2014, the state owed nothing in salaries, gratuities or pensions, nor did it owe any contractor for projects duly executed and certified. He stated that his administration systematically liquidated historical gratuities and arrears dating back several years, amounting to over ₦35 billion. “I was not owing any supplier or contractor that had executed his job and his documents processed, not one,” Obi said in a video circulated on Monday. “The day I left office, I paid what was due to be paid”.

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On the specific claim of a ₦2 billion ecological loan, Obi explained that the funds were released by the Federal Government barely three months before the end of his tenure for the Oko/Umuchiana erosion crisis. He said that despite pressure from officials within his administration to spend the money, he refused, insisting it should be left for his successor because government is a continuum and the funds were tied to a specific project. According to Obi, the money was left 100 per cent intact in First Bank, Account No. 2018779464, with a balance of over ₦2.13 billion.

Obi stressed that funds tied to specific projects were not included in the over ₦75 billion in savings his administration left behind. He challenged the Anambra State Government or anyone else to produce evidence contradicting his account, vowing: “If anybody can establish anything to the contrary, I will stop campaigning”.

The former governor also addressed the political dimension of the dispute, noting that over 30 governors are currently supporting President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 election. He said governors, including Soludo, had the right to support any candidate of their choice, adding that he was not asking for their support but wanted the election to be free, fair and credible.

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