Breaking: Peter Obi Releases Counter-Document Amid Saga With Soludo
- The Interim National Coordinator of the Obedient Movement published Obi's handover document dated March 17, 2024, on Wednesday
- The document showed Anambra State's net financial position at the end of Obi's tenure, with a balance of over ₦86 billion
- Anambra's Commissioner for Information had earlier described Obi's position on the state's debt profile as false, citing eight outstanding external loans
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Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has released what he describes as his official handover document to challenge the Governor Charles Soludo-led Anambra State Government's claims that his tenure left the state with unpaid loans and other financial liabilities.
The document, dated March 17, 2024, was published on Wednesday by Dr Yinusa Tanko, the Interim National Coordinator of the Obedient Movement. It contains a summary of Anambra State's financial position as of the close of business on that date and shows a net positive balance of over ₦86 billion.
Source: Twitter
Obi vs Anambra: How the dispute started
The controversy began after the state's Commissioner for Finance, Izuchukwu Okafor, spoke on the Ndi Anambra podcast released by the state government's New Media team. Okafor said the current administration was still repaying loans taken on by previous governments, including those of Obi and former governor Willie Obiano, and that these commitments remained active despite the Soludo administration choosing not to take fresh commercial bank loans since coming to power.
According to Tribune, Obi rejected the claim and challenged the Soludo administration to produce evidence. He went as far as saying he would withdraw from the 2027 presidential race if the allegation against him could be substantiated.
Anambra Government fires back
The state government did not back down. In a statement titled "Gov Peter Obi and Record of Public Debt in Anambra: Facts Beyond Propaganda and Lies," the Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Law Mefor, described Obi's position as false.
Mefor said eight external loans tied to projects either executed during Obi's administration or inherited by it were still outstanding. He put their combined balance at $92.35 million, which the government said was the equivalent of ₦127.37 billion as of June 30, 2026.
The Anambra government maintained that its own records showed financial obligations from Obi's time in office had not been fully settled, contradicting the picture presented in the handover document.
Legit.ng has previously reported on Peter Obi's political activities since he left the Labour Party and was ratified as the NDC's presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections in May 2026.
The development was reported on X here:
Presidency asks Peter Obi to step down
Legit.ng earlier reported that the Presidency challenged Peter Obi to honour his pledge to quit his presidential campaign if evidence of unpaid liabilities from his time as Anambra governor is established.
Obi had denied leaving behind salary, pension and contractor debts, saying his administration cleared over ₦35bn in historical gratuities before handing over in 2014.
Anambra's Commissioner for Information disputed Obi's account of an ecological fund, saying bank records showed the amount he claimed never existed in the account.
Source: Legit.ng
