Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, has dismissed allegations from the Anambra State Government that his administration left behind debts it inherited, such as a ₦2bn ecological loan, contractor liabilities, and unpaid salaries, gratuities, and pensions.
In a statement posted on X on Tuesday, Obi called the claims “completely false,” stating that his administration had paid off over ₦35bn in historical gratuities and arrears and left the state with no outstanding salary, pension, or gratuity obligations.
He said, “We systematically liquidated historical gratuities and arrears dating back several years, amounting to over ₦35 billion.”
“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,” he added.
The former governor of Anambra was responding to claims by the state government that Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s administration was still paying off debts left behind by previous governments, including those of Obi and former Governor Willie Obiano.
Izuchukwu Okafor, the Anambra State Commissioner for Finance, stated that since taking office, the Soludo administration had not taken loans from any commercial bank, yet it had kept servicing debts it inherited.
Okafor explained that deductions were being taken from the state’s Federation Account Allocation Committee funds to settle loans secured by previous administrations, adding that the government had cut the state’s debt burden by over 83 percent.
However, Obi particularly disputed the assertion about the ₦2bn ecological fund, clarifying that the funds were disbursed just before he exited office to address the Oko/Umuchiana erosion crisis.
“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.”
According to him, the money was left untouched in a First Bank account.
“The money was therefore left 100 per cent intact in First Bank, in Account No. 2018779464, with a balance of over ₦2.13 billion,” he said.
He also held that the money was not part of the savings he claimed his administration left for the state.
“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,” Obi said.
He challenged the Soludo-led Anambra State Government or anyone else to produce evidence contradicting his account.
“If anybody can establish anything to the contrary, I will stop campaigning,” he said.
