The Anambra State Government has intensified its long-standing financial dispute with former governor Peter Obi, issuing a direct challenge for him to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race. The call, posted on the state’s official X account by its New Media Office on Tuesday, alleges that Obi breached key campaign promises during his governorship regarding the state’s debt profile and the prompt payment of workers’ salaries.
Allegations of Broken Promises and Arrears
According to the state government, Obi had publicly vowed to step down from any presidential ambition if it was proven that he left Anambra State in debt. Furthermore, he allegedly pledged to resign as governor if workers were not paid on time. The state’s recent pronouncement asserts that he failed on both counts, claiming he left office in March 2014 with “heavier arrears.”
To substantiate its claims regarding salary arrears, the Anambra government appended a letter dated April 25, 2006, to its social media post. This document, titled “GUBERNATORIAL PREROGATIVE,” was allegedly signed by Chuks Iloegbunam, who served as Obi’s Chief of Staff at the time. The letter reportedly made an urgent appeal to then-Governor Obi to address unpaid salaries for staff of the Anambra State Water Corporation. It highlighted that these workers had not received their wages since February, with the corporation’s monthly salary bill being approximately N15 million.
The letter also pointedly referenced Obi’s own campaign manifesto, which contained a pledge to resign if workers were not paid “as and when due.” PUNCH Online noted its inability to immediately confirm the letter’s authenticity and stated efforts are underway to obtain a reaction from Mr. Iloegbunam.
A Recurring Financial Dispute
This latest development forms part of an ongoing and frequently resurfacing contention between the current administration of Governor Charles Soludo and Peter Obi over the financial state of Anambra when Obi concluded his tenure in March 2014.
In September, the state government, through Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation Dr. Law Mefor, released a comprehensive statement titled “Gov Peter Obi and Record of Public Debt in Anambra: Facts Beyond Propaganda and Lies.” This statement alleged that Obi left behind significant outstanding external loans, including eight external borrowings totaling N127.4 billion (as of June 30, 2026, at the official exchange rate), and $123.77 million contracted for various projects. Dr. Mefor further claimed that the current government continues to service these loans, incurring substantial deductions from the state’s federal allocation monthly.
The commissioner also cited verified salary, gratuity, and pension arrears for retired teachers and Water Corporation staff. Additionally, Dr. Mefor refuted Obi’s claim of leaving N2.13 billion in an ecological fund account, asserting the account was an Internally Generated Revenue-Consolidated Revenue Account that never held such an amount.
Obi’s Rebuttal and Political Reactions
Peter Obi, a presidential candidate for the Nigeria Democratic Congress, has consistently rejected these allegations. He has maintained that he left office without any unpaid salaries, pensions, gratuities, or obligations to contractors whose work was processed and certified. Obi stated that his administration had, in fact, cleared over N35 billion in historical gratuities and arrears.
He reiterated his vow to cease campaigning for the 2027 presidency if the state government could furnish proof of outstanding debts or owed contractors. The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, subsequently urged Obi to honor his pledge, arguing that the Anambra government had presented “facts and figures.” In response, Obi’s media aide, Idris Zekeri Jnr, dismissed the Presidency’s involvement as that of a “meddlesome interloper” and announced that a team of former officials from Obi’s administration was preparing a detailed rejoinder to the Anambra State Government’s claims.
As the 2027 presidential contest draws nearer, the enduring dispute over Anambra State’s financial records at the close of Peter Obi’s governorship continues to gain political intensity, underscoring the deep divisions between the parties involved.