2027 presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Peter Obi, has rejected claims that his administration left Anambra State with debts that the government of Governor Charles Soludo is still repaying.
Obi, a former two-term governor of Anambra State, addressed the issue during an interview in Washington, DC, United States of America (USA).
His response followed a claim by Anambra State Commissioner for Finance, Izuchukwu Okafor, that the state was still servicing loans and other debts incurred by Obi and previous administrations.
Obi said he left office without owing salaries, pensions, gratuities, contractors or suppliers whose payments were due.
“As at the day I left office, I was not owing any salary, pension, or gratuity that Anambra state government is supposed to pay,” he said.
“I was not owing any supplier or contractor that had executed his job and his documents processed, not one.
“The day I left office, I paid what was due to be paid. I wasn’t owing any contractors,” he stressed.
Obi on N2.1bn Ecological Fund
The former governor also responded to questions about a N2.1 billion ecological fund which, according to him, was in the state government’s account when he left office.
Obi said the money was received from the Federal Government about three months before he handed over to his successor, Willie Obiano.
He explained that he decided not to spend the money because it was meant for a specific erosion project and he wanted the incoming administration to take over the fund.
“The day I left office, I had an account in the First Bank of Nigeria, a branch in Nnamdi Azikiwe University, an ecological fund account with a balance of about N2.1 billion,” he said.
Obi said he was ready to provide details of the account and challenged anyone who found a different balance to produce evidence.
“If you see anything contrary to the day I left office, I will stop campaigning (to be president),” he said.
Obi on Soludo’s support for Tinubu
Obi was also asked about Governor Soludo’s public support for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
He said Soludo and other governors have the right to support any candidate of their choice.
However, he said his main request was for governors to allow Nigerians to freely choose their preferred candidates through a credible election.
“It is politics and it is their right to support whoever they want,” he said.
“I’m not urging them to support me. I am only urging them to allow free, fair and credible elections.”
Obi argued that governors should not determine who becomes president because the decision ultimately belongs to voters.
“It is the people of Nigeria that will decide, not the governors,” he said.
He added that he would accept whatever Nigerians decide in a free and fair election.
“Whatever the people decide, I will respect it,” Obi said.
Obi’s $150m claim
The 2023 presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP) also restated his claim that he left about $150 million in Anambra State’s accounts when he left office in 2014.
He had previously said the money was kept in three banks, with $50 million each reportedly saved in Access Bank, the former Diamond Bank and Fidelity Bank.
Obi said the funds were placed at an interest rate of at least 6.5 per cent and argued that their value would have increased significantly if they had remained invested.
The former Anambra governor’s latest comments come as political debate increases ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with Obi and other political figures facing growing scrutiny over their records in public office.
