Anambra debt controversy: Presidency dares Peter Obi to quit presidential race

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By Bayo Wahab

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The Presidency has challenged Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate Peter Obi to honor his pledge to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race, after the Anambra State Government disputed his claim that he left the state without outstanding financial liabilities.

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Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, issued the challenge in a post on X on Wednesday, citing fresh claims by the Anambra State Government that Obi’s administration left behind unpaid loans and arrears.

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“Peter Obi claimed he left Anambra with a clean slate of debt,” Onanuga wrote, adding that the state government had since “confronted him with facts and figures” on Water Corporation workers, teachers, pensions and gratuities.

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He said Obi had also borrowed for “frivolous things” while in office, and asked whether the former governor would follow through on his earlier threat to withdraw from the presidential race.

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The dispute began after the Anambra State Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Dr Law Mefor, issued a statement disputing Obi’s claim that his administration left the state without outstanding liabilities.

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Mefor said Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s administration had cleared about N22 billion in gratuity arrears inherited from previous administrations, and owed to retired state and local government employees and teachers. He said Obi’s administration left outstanding loans, as well as arrears of salaries, pensions and gratuities, that subsequent administrations inherited.

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According to the state government, eight external loans linked to projects implemented during or inherited by the Obi administration remain outstanding, with a combined balance of $92.35 million, put at N127.37 billion as of June 30, 2026. The loans covered malaria control, erosion management, healthcare, education, community development and agricultural value-chain development.

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Mefor said the government would not be drawn into a debate over which administration paid particular arrears, but maintained that some legacy liabilities dating back to previous administrations remained outstanding. He cited salary arrears owed to workers of the defunct Water Corporation, which he said persisted throughout Obi’s tenure.

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Obi, had earlier claimed his administration cleared more than N35 billion in historical gratuities and arrears and left office without outstanding salary, pension or gratuity obligations.

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He also disputed the government’s claim about the ecological fund, saying more than N2.13 billion remained untouched in a First Bank account earmarked for the Oko/Umuchiana erosion crisis, in addition to over N75 billion in savings left behind by his administration.

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“If anybody can establish anything to the contrary, I will stop campaigning,” Obi said, challenging the state government or any other party to produce evidence contradicting his account.

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