Peter Obi Challenges Soludo to Prove Debt Claims

The 2027 presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, has asked Governor Charles Soludo’s administration to show proof that he incurred debts when he left office as governor of Anambra State.

Obi made this statement in a Facebook post on Tuesday. He said he would stop his 2027 campaign if Soludo’s government can prove that he left any debt as governor of the state.

This challenge came after the Commissioner for Finance in Anambra, Izuchukwu Okafor, claimed during a podcast that Soludo’s administration is still paying off loans and debts from Obi and other past governors.

The commissioner also claimed that Obi, who was governor from 2006 to 2014, did not repay N2.1 billion in ecological funds.

In his first response during an interview in Washington, DC, Obi insisted that he did not leave any debt in Anambra when he stepped down as governor. He said, "As at the day I left office, I was not owing any salary, pension, or gratuity that Anambra state government is supposed to pay."

Obi continued, "I was not owing any supplier or contractor that had executed his job and his documents processed, not one. The day I left office; I paid what was due to be paid. I wasn’t owing any contractors."

In his second response on Facebook, the former governor called the claim about leaving debt, including the N2.1 billion ecological funds, "completely false."

He explained, "We systematically liquidated historical gratuities and arrears dating back several years, amounting to over ₦35 billion. At the point of handover, the state owed nothing in salaries, gratuities, or pensions, nor did we owe anything to any contractor for projects duly executed and certified."

Regarding the N2.1 billion, Obi said his administration received the funds from the federal government about three months before he left office. He stated that he kept the money in the state government’s account for the incoming government of Willie Obiano, who took over in 2014.

Obi noted that officials in his government suggested spending the money before he left, but he declined. He wanted his successor to handle the funds for the Oko/Umuchiana erosion crisis.

The former governor then challenged Soludo’s administration to prove him wrong. If they do, he will stop his presidential campaign. He said, "The (ecological) money was therefore left 100 percent intact in First Bank, in Account No. 2018779464, with a balance of over ₦2.13 billion."

He added, "It is important to stress that funds tied to specific projects or set aside for particular purposes were not even included in the over ₦75 billion in savings we left behind. If anybody can establish anything to the contrary, I will stop campaigning."