Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has firmly rejected assertions by the Anambra State Government that his tenure left behind unresolved debts, including contractor liabilities, unpaid salaries, pensions, and a ₦2 billion ecological loan.
The pushback follows remarks by the Anambra State Commissioner for Finance, Izuchukwu Okafor, who stated that the administration of Governor Chukwuma Soludo has continued to service inherited loans from previous governments through monthly deductions from its Federation Account Allocation Committee funds. Okafor added that while no commercial bank loans had been taken under Soludo, the current government had successfully reduced the state’s overall debt burden by over 83 per cent.
Reacting to the claims in a statement published on X on Tuesday, the former governor described the allegations as “completely false” and maintained that he cleared all financial obligations before relinquishing power. “We systematically liquidated historical gratuities and arrears dating back several years, amounting to over ₦35 billion,” Obi stated, adding: “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.”
Regarding the ₦2 billion ecological fund, Obi clarified that the money was earmarked for the Oko/Umuchiana erosion crisis and arrived shortly before his term ended. “The ₦2 billion ecological fund in question was released barely three months before the end of my tenure for the Oko/Umuchiana erosion crisis,” he said. “Despite pressure to spend the money, I refused, insisting that it should be left for my successor because government is a continuum and the funds were tied to a specific project.”
Obi specified that the funds were preserved entirely in a First Bank account holding a balance of over ₦2.13 billion at his departure. He further said that project-specific capital was omitted from the calculation of the savings he handed over to the state, noting: “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.”
The former governor issued a direct challenge to his accusers: “If anybody can establish anything to the contrary, I will stop campaigning.”