The controversy over the financial record of Peter Obi’s tenure as Anambra State governor has taken a new political turn, with the Presidency challenging the former governor to honour his earlier pledge to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race if claims about outstanding debts from his administration are established.
The dispute followed a statement by the Anambra State Government challenging Obi’s claim that he left office without outstanding debts or unpaid financial obligations. The government said records showed that some liabilities connected to projects during, or inherited by, his administration remained outstanding.
Obi has rejected that account, maintaining that he cleared more than ₦35 billion in historical arrears and left office without owing salaries, pensions, gratuities or contractors for duly completed and certified projects.
Key Facts
- Peter Obi has maintained that he left Anambra State without the outstanding obligations alleged by the state government.
- The Anambra State Government disputes that position and says liabilities remained.
- The government cited eight external loans with a combined outstanding balance of $92.35 million.
- It valued the balance at ₦127.37 billion as of June 30, 2026.
- The Presidency has now questioned whether Obi will follow through on his reported pledge to quit the 2027 presidential race if evidence contradicted his claim.
What Happened?
The latest disagreement centres on the financial position Obi left behind when he completed his tenure as governor of Anambra State.
Obi has said he settled more than ₦35 billion in historical arrears and did not leave behind unpaid salaries, pensions, gratuities or obligations to contractors for completed and certified projects. He also challenged anyone disputing his account to produce contrary evidence.
The Anambra State Government, however, has presented a different account.
In a statement titled “Gov Peter Obi and Record of Public Debt in Anambra: Facts Beyond Propaganda and Lies,” the state’s Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Law Mefor, rejected Obi’s position on the state’s debt profile.
Mefor said eight external loans associated with projects implemented during or inherited by the Obi administration were still outstanding.
According to the statement, the combined balance stood at $92.35 million, which the state government put at ₦127.37 billion as of June 30, 2026.
The loans, the government said, related to projects involving malaria control, erosion management, healthcare, education, community development and agricultural value-chain development.
The Competing Positions
The dispute now involves three distinct political positions.
Obi’s position is that his administration cleared substantial historical liabilities and left office without owing salaries, pensions, gratuities or contractors for duly completed and certified projects.
The Anambra Government’s position is that outstanding financial liabilities remained and that its records contradict Obi’s description of the state’s debt position at the end of his tenure.
The Presidency’s position centres on Obi’s reported commitment to quit the 2027 presidential race if evidence emerged showing that his administration had left the state with the debts he denied.
That distinction is important because the current controversy involves competing accounts of the state’s financial position rather than a single account accepted by all parties.
How the Dispute Reached This Point
Obi’s record as a former Anambra governor has become relevant to the current political dispute because his financial management of the state is being examined in connection with his 2027 presidential ambitions.
His position, as presented in the supplied material, is that he cleared more than ₦35 billion in historical arrears and did not leave the categories of unpaid obligations alleged against his administration.
The Anambra Government’s response directly challenges that account, citing outstanding external loans and other liabilities.
The disagreement subsequently moved beyond the state government and Obi, with Bayo Onanuga, a Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu, publicly challenging the former governor over the issue.
What The Key Statements Say
Onanuga, reacting in a post on 𝕏, referred to Obi’s previous claim that he left Anambra with a clean debt slate.
He also referred to Obi’s reported threat to leave the presidential contest if his position was proven wrong before asking whether the former governor would now honour that commitment.
Onanuga wrote:
“Peter Obi claimed he left Anambra with a clean slate of debt and even threatened to quit the presidential race if his claims were proven otherwise.”
He then pointed to the Anambra Government’s claims concerning liabilities involving workers, teachers, pensioners and gratuities, and asked:
“Will he follow through on his threat by quitting the race?”
The statement from the Anambra Government, meanwhile, described Obi’s position on the state’s debt profile as false.
What Is Confirmed — And What Remains Disputed?
The available material establishes that the parties have different accounts of Anambra State’s financial position.
Obi has made a specific claim about the liabilities he says he cleared before leaving office. The Anambra Government has issued a statement disputing that claim and supplied figures for eight outstanding external loans.
The figure of $92.35 million, and the corresponding ₦127.37 billion valuation as of June 30, 2026, are figures attributed to the Anambra State Government in its statement.
The supplied material does not independently establish which side’s overall account of the state’s debt position is correct.
That distinction matters because the political argument surrounding Obi’s 2027 candidacy is now being built partly around competing interpretations of financial records from his period as governor.
What The Debt Dispute Means Politically
The controversy gives Obi’s record in Anambra a renewed place in the political discussion surrounding the 2027 presidential election.
For the Presidency, the issue provides the basis for challenging Obi over a previous statement concerning his political future. For the Anambra Government, the dispute is centred on its account of liabilities associated with the state.
For Obi, the issue concerns whether his explanation of the state’s financial position can withstand the claims now being made against it.
The significance of the dispute therefore extends beyond the debt figures themselves. It also illustrates how the record of a former governor can become part of the scrutiny surrounding a presidential candidacy.
At this stage, however, the competing claims should remain clearly attributed rather than presented as independently settled conclusions.
The Wider Political Question
The most immediate political question arising from the exchange is the one raised by Onanuga: whether Obi’s previous statement creates a condition that could affect his participation in the 2027 presidential contest.
That question remains tied to the underlying disagreement over what liabilities existed when Obi left office and how those liabilities should be classified.
The controversy could therefore continue to develop through further statements, documentary evidence or responses from the parties involved.
Final Editorial Wrap-Up
The dispute over Peter Obi’s record as Anambra governor has now become part of the wider political conversation surrounding the 2027 presidential race. Obi maintains that he cleared substantial arrears and left office without the outstanding obligations alleged against him, while the Anambra Government says its records show otherwise and has cited eight external loans with a combined balance of $92.35 million.
The Presidency has subsequently turned the dispute into a direct political question by asking whether Obi will honour his reported pledge to quit the race if his earlier claim is disproved.
For now, the central issue remains contested: Obi’s account and the Anambra Government’s account have yet to be reconciled within the material supplied for this report.
