Onanuga Says State Government Has Presented Figures Disputing Obi’s Claim of Leaving Office Debt-Free
The Presidency has challenged former Anambra State Governor and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate Peter Obi to honour his pledge to stop his 2027 campaign if claims that he left the state with outstanding liabilities are proven.
Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, made the challenge in a post on X on Wednesday.
Onanuga recalled that Obi had claimed he left Anambra without outstanding debts and said he would stop campaigning if anyone established otherwise.
He said the Anambra State Government had now presented figures disputing Obi’s account, including alleged liabilities involving Water Corporation workers, teachers, pensions and gratuities.
“The ball is back in his court. Will he follow through on his threat by quitting the race?” Onanuga asked.
The development followed a fresh response by the Anambra State Government to Obi’s rejection of claims that his administration left behind financial obligations when he handed over power in 2014.
Obi had said his administration cleared more than ₦35 billion in historical gratuities and arrears and left no outstanding salaries, pensions, gratuities or certified contractor liabilities. He also disputed claims concerning an alleged ₦2 billion ecological fund.
Obi said more than ₦2.13 billion had been left untouched in a First Bank account for the Oko/Umuchiana erosion project. However, Anambra Commissioner for Information and Value Reformation, Law Mefor, disputed the claim, saying the account was an Internally Generated Revenue Consolidated Revenue Account and not an ecological fund account.
Mefor said the state government obtained a certified printout of the account and claimed that it had never recorded the ₦2.13 billion amount cited by Obi since the account was opened in 2011.
The state government has also said that eight external loans associated with projects during Obi’s administration had an outstanding balance of $92.35 million as of June 30, 2026, which it valued at about ₦127.37 billion.
Obi had earlier challenged anyone who could establish that his account of Anambra’s finances was incorrect, saying, “If anybody can establish anything to the contrary, I will stop campaigning.”