The Anambra State government has released a 20-year-old memo from Peter Obi's first months as governor to challenge his claim of leaving the state without financial liabilities. The memo, dated April 25, 2006, was attributed to Obi's then Chief of Staff, Chuks Iloegbunam, and appealed to the governor to release funds for workers of the Anambra State Water Corporation. The document stated that the workers had not been paid since February.
The state government's decision to produce the document marks a shift in the argument with Obi, with accusations initially centring on loans and the financial position of Anambra at the end of his tenure. Obi has maintained that his administration systematically cleared more than N35 billion in historical gratuities and arrears and handed over a state without outstanding salaries, pensions, or gratuities.
The 2006 memo specifically concerned the Water Corporation, whose monthly wage bill was put at about N15 million. Iloegbunam appealed to Obi to place the corporation among government agencies funded through regular subventions, allowing its workers to not have to repeatedly visit the Governor's Office over unpaid salaries.
The state government's New Media Office asked: "When will Peter Obi quit the presidential campaign?" It recalled two separate pledges attributed to the former governor, including one made during his governorship campaign concerning prompt payment of workers and another made recently in response to allegations that his administration left Anambra in debt.
Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Law Mefor, said the government had identified eight external borrowing facilities which it attributed to Obi's administration and put their outstanding balance at N127.4 billion as of June 30, 2026. The government said the loans were connected with projects in areas including healthcare, education, malaria control, erosion management, and agricultural development.
The controversy has drawn the Presidency into the dispute, with Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, asking Obi to honour his pledge to quit the 2027 race if the claims against his administration are established. Obi's media aide, Idris Zekeri Jnr, rejected the intervention, describing the Presidency as a "meddlesome interloper".
The latest claims revive an old problem surrounding the assessment of Obi's eight years in office ahead of the 2027 presidential election in which he is a candidate of the NDC. The document has not been independently authenticated, while Iloegbunam is yet to issue a response.
Key points
- The Anambra State government has released a 2006 memo to challenge Peter Obi's claim of clearing workers' salary obligations before leaving office.
- The state government has identified eight external borrowing facilities attributed to Obi's administration with an outstanding balance of N127.4 billion.
- The controversy has drawn the Presidency into the dispute, with Bayo Onanuga asking Obi to honour his pledge to quit the 2027 race if the claims against his administration are established.
