The Anambra State Government has accused former governor Peter Obi of concealing loans, salary and pension arrears incurred during his administration. The state Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Law Mefor, made the allegations in a statement issued on September 26, 2026. Mefor claimed that Obi's administration signed eight loans from the International Development Association and World Bank during his eight-year tenure, with a combined value of $123.77 million.
According to Mefor, the Debt Management Office report as of June 30, 2026, showed that $92.35 million, equivalent to N127.37 billion, remained outstanding on the loans. He said successive administrations, including the current government led by Governor Chukwuma Soludo, had continued to service the debts through monthly deductions from the state's federal allocations. Mefor rejected Obi's reported argument that he did not personally obtain the loans from the World Bank or the Debt Management Office.
The commissioner alleged that Obi's administration failed to disclose the liabilities in his handover documents, arguing that assets and liabilities should both be reflected in a government's financial records. Mefor also disputed Obi's claim that his administration did not owe workers or pensioners. He cited the case of more than 700 staff members of the Anambra State Water Corporation, saying an arbitration panel in 2009 and a National Industrial Court judgment in 2019 established that the state government owed the workers.
Mefor said the Soludo administration entered an out-of-court settlement with the affected workers on February 26, 2024, for N1.56 billion, adding that N1.19 billion had so far been paid. According to him, the government is expected to pay the outstanding balance in the final tranche. Mefor also alleged that 11 months of pension arrears owed to primary school teachers remained outstanding. He said the arrears were inherited from the administration of former governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju, with Obi's government paying only five months out of the 16 months certified as valid.
The commissioner also criticised Obi's emphasis on the savings reportedly left behind by his administration. Obi has repeatedly pointed to funds saved by his government as part of his record in office. However, Mefor argued that the existence of savings did not invalidate outstanding loans and other liabilities. He said the government's responsibility was not simply to accumulate funds in bank accounts but to deploy public resources towards infrastructure, security, healthcare, education and other areas affecting citizens.
The state government also raised questions over the whereabouts of N2.13 billion which Obi reportedly claimed was held in a First Bank account as an ecological fund when he handed over power on March 17, 2014. Mefor said the issue was particularly important because Obi had reportedly provided the account number, name of the bank and branch in making the claim. According to the commissioner, however, First Bank, in a letter dated September 16, 2026, stated that the account referenced by Obi was actually the Anambra State Government's IGR Consolidated Account and not an ecological fund account.
Mefor demanded clarification on the whereabouts of the alleged ecological fund, saying the issue remained unanswered. The commissioner accused Obi and his supporters of attempting to shift the focus from the specific questions raised about loans, workers' arrears, contractual liabilities and the alleged ecological fund. Mefor urged the former governor to address the issues raised and tender an apology to the people of Anambra State, saying the government remained committed to providing information on matters of public interest.
Key points
- The Anambra State Government accused Peter Obi of concealing loans and liabilities worth N127.37 billion.
- The government also questioned the whereabouts of N2.13 billion allegedly held in an ecological fund account.
- The allegations were made in response to Obi's recent public comments defending his record on borrowing, savings and liabilities.
