*As fingers point at his successor, Willie Obiano
By Chucks Nwonye
Former Governor of Anambra State and 2027 presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Mr. Peter Obi, has dismissed claims by the Anambra State Government that his administration left behind inherited debts, including a N2 billion ecological loan, contractor liabilities, and unpaid salaries, gratuities and pensions.
Obi, in a press statement released on September 15, 2026, described the trending claims as completely false, phantom and a fallacy being peddled to mislead the public.
“My attention has been drawn to trending claims by the Anambra State Government that my administration left behind inherited debts, including a N2 billion ecological loan, contractor liabilities, and unpaid salaries, gratuities, and pensions. This is completely false,” Obi said.
The former governor stated that his administration systematically liquidated historical gratuities and arrears dating back several years, amounting to over N35 billion, and ensured that at the point of handover in March 2014, the state owed nothing in salaries, gratuities or pensions.
He added that his government also did not owe any contractor for projects duly executed and certified before leaving office.
Obi specifically addressed the controversy surrounding the N2 billion ecological fund, explaining that the fund was released barely three months before the end of his tenure for the Oko/Umuchiana erosion crisis, one of the most severe ecological challenges in the state at the time.
According to him, despite pressure to spend the money, he deliberately refused to touch it, insisting that it should be left for his successor because government is a continuum and the funds were tied to a specific project.
“The N2 billion ecological fund in question was released barely three months before the end of my tenure for the Oko/Umuchiana erosion crisis. 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,” he stated.
He disclosed that the money was left 100 per cent intact in a First Bank account, with Account No. 2018779464, with a balance of over N2.13 billion as at the time of handover.
Obi further clarified that funds tied to specific projects or set aside for particular purposes were not even included in the over N75 billion in savings his administration left behind in both local and foreign currencies, including investments and cash reserves.
“It is important to stress that funds tied to specific projects or set aside for particular purposes were not even included in the over N75 billion in savings we left behind,” he said.
The former governor threw a challenge to anyone who could prove otherwise, saying that if any evidence of inherited debts, unpaid salaries, or contractor liabilities from his tenure could be established, he would stop campaigning.
“If anybody can establish anything to the contrary, I will stop campaigning,” he declared in the statement he personally signed.
Obi’s administration, which lasted from 2006 to 2014, has often been referenced for its fiscal prudence and savings culture, with his supporters frequently citing the handover notes detailing cash and investments left for his successor, former Governor Willie Obiano.
The Anambra State Government is yet to issue a detailed response to Obi’s latest clarification as of press time, but the debate over legacy debts and savings has continued to generate reactions across political circles in the state and beyond, especially as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections.
