Former Anambra State Governor and presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, has thrown a fresh challenge at the Chukwuma Soludo administration over claims that his government left behind billions of naira in inherited debts.
Obi, who described the allegations as “completely false,” declared that he would stop campaigning for the 2027 presidential election if the Anambra State Government or anyone else could prove that his administration left the debts being attributed to it.
The former governor made the declaration in a statement posted on X yesterday while reacting to claims by the Anambra State Government that the Soludo administration was still servicing loans and other financial obligations inherited from previous governments.
Anambra State Commissioner for Finance, Izuchukwu Okafor, had said the Soludo administration had not borrowed from any commercial bank since assuming office but had continued to service loans obtained by previous administrations.
Okafor also disclosed that deductions were being made from the state’s Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) funds to repay inherited loans, while claiming that the state’s debt burden had been reduced by more than 83 per cent.
But Obi rejected the claims, insisting that his administration cleared more than ₦35 billion in historical gratuities and arrears and handed over the state without outstanding salary, pension or gratuity obligations.
He said his administration “systematically liquidated historical gratuities and arrears dating back several years, amounting to over ₦35 billion.”
“At the point of handover, the state owed nothing in salaries, gratuities, or pensions, nor did we owe anything to any contractor for projects duly executed and certified,” Obi said.
The former governor also addressed the controversial ₦2 billion ecological fund allegedly linked to his administration.
According to him, the money was released barely three months before the end of his tenure specifically to address the Oko/Umuchiana erosion crisis.
Obi said he resisted pressure to spend the money, insisting that it should be preserved for his successor because the government was a continuum and the funds were tied to a specific project.
He claimed the money remained untouched in a First Bank account.
“The money was therefore left 100 per cent intact in First Bank, in Account No. 2018779464, with a balance of over ₦2.13 billion,” he said.
Obi further explained that the ecological fund was not included in the more than ₦75 billion in savings he said his administration left behind.
“It is important to stress that funds tied to specific projects or set aside for particular purposes were not even included in the over ₦75 billion in savings we left behind,” he said.
The 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate challenged the Anambra State Government and other critics to produce evidence contradicting his account.
“If anybody can establish anything to the contrary, I will stop campaigning,” Obi declared.
The latest exchange adds a new dimension to the political and financial debate over the management of Anambra’s resources under successive administrations, as preparations for the 2027 elections intensify.
