The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has responded to the Anambra State Government's appeal to supporters of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to reject the party in the 2027 elections. NDC's Director of New Media and Strategic Communications, Theo Abu Agada, stated that the state government's position was driven by concern over the growing popularity of NDC's presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in Anambra State and beyond.
Agada declared that the NDC would "win big" in Anambra, insisting that the state government and APGA could not prevent the party from making gains in the state. He attributed the criticism of Obi and the NDC to an inability to challenge Obi over his record in office. According to Agada, the Anambra State Government is threatened by Obi's growing popularity.
The Anambra State Government, led by Charles Soludo, had urged APGA supporters to resist the NDC ahead of the 2027 elections. The government alleged that Obi had worked against APGA since leaving the party in 2014, stating that a vote for Obi and the NDC would be a vote to kill APGA. The government also accused Obi of backing opposition against APGA in 2025.
The exchange between the NDC and the Anambra State Government comes amid an ongoing dispute between Obi and the government over the state's financial position when Obi left office as governor in 2014. The controversy began on September 14, after the Anambra State Commissioner for Finance, Izuchukwu Okafor, claimed that the state was still repaying loans obtained by previous administrations, including those led by Obi and former governor Willie Obiano.
Obi rejected the claim, maintaining that he did not leave any outstanding debt when his tenure ended. He also stated that his administration left no unpaid salaries, pensions, or contractors and claimed that N2.1 billion in ecological funds remained for the state. The state government subsequently released details of the external debt it said was inherited from Obi.
Law Mefor, the Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, disputed Obi's claim about the ecological funds, saying there was no evidence that the N2.1 billion was kept in First Bank. Mefor also stated that Obi left $123.77 million in debt at the end of his tenure. Obi served as governor of Anambra from March 2006 to March 2014.
The NDC's response to the Anambra State Government's claims has heightened tensions between the two parties ahead of the 2027 elections. Peter Obi, who formally left APGA in October 2014, joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before later leaving the PDP in May 2022 to contest the 2023 presidential election on the platform of the Labour Party.
Key points
- The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has dismissed the Anambra State Government's call to reject the party ahead of the 2027 elections.
- The Anambra State Government had alleged that Peter Obi worked against APGA since leaving the party in 2014.
- The dispute between Obi and the Anambra State Government is over the state's financial position when Obi left office as governor in 2014.
