Former Anambra State Governor and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has insisted that he left office in March 2014 without the state owing salaries, gratuities, pensions or contractors whose completed projects had been certified and verified. Obi made the claim during an interview on Arise TV on Thursday while responding to renewed questions over the Anambra debt controversy.
Key Highlights
- Peter Obi said he did not borrow money or issue bonds on behalf of Anambra State during his eight years as governor.
- He maintained that the state owed no salaries, pensions or gratuities at the time he left office.
- Obi also said no contractor or supplier with completed, certified and verified work was owed by the state.
- He disputed claims that he left Anambra with $123.77 million in outstanding debt.
- The Anambra State Government has maintained that loans associated with previous administrations remain liabilities being serviced by the state.
- Obi said the disagreement with Governor Chukwuma Soludo was not a personal dispute.
Obi Denies Borrowing Money For Anambra
Responding to questions about loans and liabilities allegedly linked to his administration, Obi said he did not approach any financial institution to borrow money or issue bonds on behalf of Anambra State throughout his eight years in office.
“I, Mr Peter Obi, did not approach any financial institution to borrow money or issue bonds on behalf of Anambra State,” he said.
The former governor also maintained that the state had no outstanding obligations to workers whose salaries, pensions and gratuities were due when he handed over power.
“On the day I left office, the government of Anambra State, which I served, was not owing any salary, gratuity, or pension to those scheduled to be paid by the state government,” he added.
He said the state did not owe contractors or suppliers whose projects had been completed and whose work had been certified and verified, insisting: “We were not owing any contractor or supplier who had executed their job, certified and verified. Not one.”
Obi Explains Position On Anambra Loan Liabilities
Obi argued that obligations relating to incomplete projects should not automatically be treated as outstanding debts until the projects had been completed, verified and certified in accordance with contractual terms.
He also rejected the presentation of the reported $123.77 million figure as a debt he left behind, saying the issue involved the treatment of concessionary development financing and funds that had not been fully drawn down.
Obi said some of the facilities associated with his administration were concessionary funding arrangements involving the Federal Government and international development institutions rather than commercial loans directly obtained by Anambra State. He added that even under a worst-case scenario, the state had sufficient funds to cover the obligations in question.
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Anambra Government Disputes Obi’s Debt Claim
The dispute over the financial legacy of Obi’s administration has continued between the former governor and the current Anambra State Government. The state government has said loans associated with Obi’s tenure remain liabilities being serviced by Anambra.
Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Law Mefor, previously said eight federal government-guaranteed loans linked to the period remained subject to repayment. The government has also cited an outstanding external loan balance of about $123.77 million as of June 30, 2026. Obi has rejected that presentation and argued that it does not accurately reflect the amount actually drawn or the financial position of the state at the time he left office.
You can read more on the exchange in Obi’s own words in his Arise TV interview.
Obi Says Dispute With Soludo Is Not Personal
Asked about his disagreement with Governor Chukwuma Soludo over the state’s financial records, Obi said he did not regard the issue as a personal dispute. He described Soludo as the governor of his state and said he respected him.
Obi also urged political leaders to focus on the economic difficulties facing Nigerians rather than what he described as unnecessary distractions.
Obi Calls For Free Political Campaigns
The former governor appealed to governors across the country to allow presidential candidates and other political contenders to campaign freely ahead of the 2027 elections.
According to Obi, political leaders have the right to support candidates of their choice, but voters should be allowed to hear from all candidates before making their decisions. He urged Nigerians and political leaders to concentrate on issues affecting the country and the hardship faced by citizens.
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