President Bola Tinubu and Peter Obi
The Presidency has challenged the 2027 presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, to honour his promise to quit the presidential race if it was established that he did not leave Anambra State debt-free at the end of his tenure as governor.
The challenge followed recent claims by the Anambra State Government disputing Obi’s repeated assertion that he handed over a financially stable state with no debt.
In a post, the Presidency said Obi had publicly maintained that he left Anambra with a clean financial record and even vowed to withdraw from the presidential race if anyone proved otherwise.
According to the Presidency, the Anambra State Government has now presented what it described as facts and figures showing that the Obi administration left unpaid obligations, including salaries owed to workers of the State Water Corporation, teachers’ entitlements, pensions and gratuities.
The Presidency also referred to the state government’s claim that the administration which succeeded Obi inherited $123 million in external debt, contrary to his repeated claim that he left no debt behind.
It further noted that the Anambra government questioned some of the borrowings undertaken during Obi’s administration and said there was no evidence to support claims that about N2.1 billion Ecological Fund was left for the state.
The Presidency argued that the latest disclosures had shifted the burden back to the former governor, saying Nigerians now expect him to respond to the allegations and clarify his earlier claims.
The controversy follows Obi’s recent insistence that he left Anambra without debt. He had also declared that he would quit the presidential race if credible evidence proved otherwise.
However, the Anambra State Government has maintained that its records show outstanding liabilities inherited from the Obi administration, including unpaid obligations to workers and pensioners, as well as $123 million in external debt. It also said it found no record of the alleged N2.1 billion Ecological Fund often cited as part of the assets Obi claimed to have left behind.
With the exchange attracting national attention ahead of the 2027 elections, political observers are awaiting Obi’s response to the allegations and whether he will stand by his earlier pledge if the claims are substantiated.
