Former Anambra State Governor and presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, has rejected claims that his administration left behind unpaid debts, including a N2 billion ecological loan, contractor liabilities and arrears in salaries, gratuities and pensions.
Obi, in a statement posted on X on Tuesday, described the allegations as “completely false,” insisting that his administration cleared more than N35 billion in outstanding gratuities and arrears before leaving office.
He said the state had no outstanding salary, pension or gratuity obligations at the time of the handover, adding that contractors whose projects had been duly executed and certified were also fully paid.
The former governor was responding to comments by the Anambra State Government that the administration of Governor Chukwuma Soludo was still servicing debts inherited from previous governments, including those of Obi and his successor, Willie Obiano.
Anambra Commissioner for Finance, Izuchukwu Okafor, said the Soludo administration had not obtained any commercial bank loan since taking office but was servicing debts inherited from previous administrations. He said repayments were being deducted from the state’s Federation Account Allocation Committee funds, while the state’s overall debt burden had been reduced by more than 83 per cent.
Obi specifically disputed the claim concerning the N2 billion ecological fund, saying the money was released about three months before he left office to address the Oko/Umuchiana erosion crisis.
He said he declined to spend the funds despite pressure to do so, insisting that the money should be preserved for his successor because it was earmarked for a specific project. According to Obi, more than N2.13 billion remained untouched in a First Bank account when he left office.
Obi also said the funds set aside for specific projects were separate from the more than N75 billion in savings he claimed his administration left for the state.
He challenged the Anambra Government to provide evidence to contradict his account, saying, “If anybody can establish anything to the contrary, I will stop campaigning.”
