The Presidency has challenged the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, to honour his earlier pledge to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race if claims about his record as Anambra State governor are disproved.
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The challenge followed a fresh dispute between Obi and the Anambra State Government over loans and other financial obligations allegedly left behind by his administration.
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The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, raised the issue in a social media post on Wednesday, referring to the state government’s recent claims that Obi left behind outstanding loans, pensions, gratuities and other arrears.
The Anambra Government had accused the former governor of leaving outstanding financial obligations when he left office in March 2014.
The state government said eight external loan facilities linked to projects undertaken during or inherited by Obi’s administration remained outstanding. It put the combined balance of the loans at $92.35 million, equivalent to N127.37 billion as of June 30, 2026.
According to the state, the loans were obtained for projects and programmes covering areas such as malaria control, erosion management, healthcare, education, community development and agricultural value-chain development.
The government also alleged that some salary, pension and gratuity arrears remained unresolved after Obi left office, including obligations involving workers of the former Water Corporation.
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It said the administration of Governor Chukwuma Soludo had paid about N22 billion in inherited gratuity arrears owed to retired state and local government workers and teachers.
The state government, however, said it would not enter into a detailed dispute over which administration settled specific arrears inherited from previous governments.
Obi has maintained a different position on the state’s financial records during his tenure. He previously claimed that his administration cleared more than N35 billion in historical gratuities and arrears and left office without outstanding salary, pension or gratuity obligations.
The former governor also disputed claims concerning the ecological fund, stating that more than N2.13 billion remained in a First Bank account designated for addressing the Oko/Umuchiana erosion problem. He further claimed that his administration left more than N75 billion in savings.
Obi had said he was prepared to stop campaigning if anyone could provide evidence contradicting his account of the state’s finances.
The latest exchange has therefore widened the disagreement over the financial record of Obi’s administration, with the Anambra Government presenting its account of outstanding liabilities while Obi maintains that his administration left the state in a financially sound position.
The controversy comes as Obi prepares for the 2027 presidential election under the NDC, while the Tinubu administration and opposition political figures continue to trade claims over the records of past governments.
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