The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council has challenged Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, to honour his earlier pledge to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race if it is established that he left Anambra State with a debt burden. This challenge comes after disclosures by the Anambra State Government showed that Obi contracted $123.77m in external loans during his eight-year tenure as governor of the state.
According to the Anambra State Government, Obi spent about $4.05bn during his tenure and left office in March 2014 with eight external borrowings for projects in areas including malaria control, erosion management, education and healthcare, which subsequent administrations continued to service. The state government made these disclosures in response to Obi's challenge to verify his record.
The APC campaign council, in a statement by its spokesman and Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, said Obi's claims of fiscal prudence and leaving Anambra without debt were contradicted by the reported loans. The council argued that borrowing was not wrong when used for development, but Obi's administration's actions did not align with his public image.
The APC PCC also pointed out that despite these borrowings, Obi has nothing to show for his stewardship across Anambra's sectors. During his tenure, Obi failed to pay workers' salaries in some ministries, including the Water Corporation staff who protested over unpaid salaries. A memo to Obi from his Chief of Staff, Chuks Ileogbunam, dated April 25, 2006, pleaded with the governor to pay the Water Corporation workers' N15m monthly salary to avoid protests.
The APC PCC urged Obi to acknowledge his alleged misrepresentations and seek forgiveness from Anambra people, while also questioning his recent solidarity visit to a person facing an EFCC trial over alleged financial misconduct. The council advised Obi to purge himself of his lies and seek the forgiveness of the Anambra people instead of continuing his presidential campaign.
Obi had earlier challenged anyone to prove his account of the state's finances wrong, saying he would stop campaigning if contrary evidence was established. However, Anambra State Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Law Mefor, disputed Obi's claims, saying the account cited by Obi was an Internally Generated Revenue Consolidated Revenue Account, not an ecological fund account.
The APC PCC advised Obi to resign from the 2027 presidential race, citing his earlier promise to end his run if it was proven that his administration left behind liabilities in Anambra. The council stated that if Peter Obi has any honour, he must resign from the 2027 presidential race forthwith, in keeping with his promise.
Key points
- The APC PCC challenged Peter Obi to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race over his alleged debt burden in Anambra State.
- Obi's administration contracted $123.77m in external loans and spent $4.05bn during his eight-year tenure as governor of Anambra State.
- The APC PCC urged Obi to acknowledge his alleged misrepresentations and seek forgiveness from Anambra people.
