Peter Obi in Nigeria promises to end campaign if his debts are proven
In Nigeria, Peter Obi, the 2027 presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), called on the administration of Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo to prove that he left debts after completing his term as governor. Obi said he would end his presidential campaign if this is established, Premium Times Nigeria reports.
Finance commissioner’s statement
The dispute arose after a statement by the state’s Finance Commissioner, Izuchukwu Okafor, made during a podcast. According to him, the Soludo administration is still repaying loans and other debts allegedly left by Obi and other former state governors.
Okafor also said that Obi, who headed Anambra State from 2006 to 2014, did not settle the issue of 2.1 billion naira in ecological fund money. The article presents these claims as the position of the state official.
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Peter Obi’s response
Obi rejected the accusations. In an interview in Washington, he said that on the day he completed his work as governor, the state had no arrears in salaries, pensions and benefits, or to suppliers and contractors whose work had been completed and properly documented.
In a Facebook post, the former governor called the claims about debts left behind, including those concerning 2.1 billion naira, “completely false.” He said that his administration had cleared more than 35 billion naira in payment arrears from previous years and that, when handing over power, it had no debts in salaries, pensions, benefits, or to contractors.
According to Obi, the ecological funds came from the federal government about three months before the end of his term. He claims that he left more than 2.13 billion naira in the state government’s account at First Bank for the next administration of Willie Obiano, so that it could use the money to address the erosion crisis in Oko and Umuchiani. Obi also said that these funds were not included in the more than 75 billion naira in savings that, he claims, he left for the state.
