By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has challenged former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi to explain the debt and financial liabilities allegedly incurred during his eight-year tenure.
The council made the call in a statement issued by its spokesman, Dele Alake, on Monday, 21 September, 2026 following the Anambra State Government’s disclosure of details of Obi’s financial record in office.
According to the council, the state government said Obi spent about $4.05 billion, equivalent to N5.4 trillion, during his eight years in office and contracted $123.77 million in external loans.
It said the state had eight external borrowing arrangements when Obi left office on March 17, 2014, covering malaria control, erosion management, education and healthcare.
Subsequent administrations, including that of Governor Chukwuma Soludo, have continued to service the loans, it added.
The council acknowledged that borrowing for development was not necessarily injudicious but argued that the disclosures contradicted Obi’s claim that he left Anambra without a debt burden.
It also questioned his record on workers’ welfare, citing a memo purportedly written to Obi by his then Chief of Staff, Chuks Ileogbunam, over unpaid salaries owed to workers of the Anambra State Water Corporation.
According to the council, the April 25, 2006 memo appealed to Obi to pay the corporation’s monthly salary bill of N15 million to prevent workers from protesting at the Governor’s Office.
In the memo, Ileogbunam reportedly urged Obi to consider the plight of the workers and their families, appealing to him to end what he described as their ordeal.
The APC council further alleged that Obi had pledged during his campaign to resign as governor if any worker under his administration was not paid as and when due.
It also recalled Obi’s reported promise to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race if it was established that his administration left a debt burden for Anambra State.
Alake said the disclosures by the state government warranted an explanation from Obi, particularly given his repeated claims about his administration’s financial management.
The council also criticised Obi’s recent solidarity visit to a person it said was facing an Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) trial over allegations involving unexplained wealth and corruption.
It did not identify the person or provide further details of the case in the statement.
Alake urged Obi to address the allegations concerning his record in Anambra and said he should withdraw from the 2027 presidential race if it was established that his administration left liabilities for the state.
The statement followed the Anambra State Government’s response to Obi’s call for his record in office to be verified.
