Presidency Tells Peter Obi to Withdraw From 2027 Race Over Anambra N127 Billion Debt Claim

The dispute over whether Peter Obi left Anambra State debt-free has taken a new turn as the Presidency has asked him to honour his promise to drop out of the 2027 presidential contest.

Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, threw the challenge on Wednesday after the Anambra State Government released details it said contradict Obi’s long-standing claim.

Obi, who is now the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, has repeatedly said he left Anambra without owing salaries, pensions or gratuities and even left over N75 billion in savings. He vowed to stop campaigning if anyone could prove him wrong.

In a post on X, Onanuga said the Anambra government has now done exactly that.

According to the state government, through the Commissioner for Information, Dr Law Mefor, what Obi left behind was not a clean slate.

Mefor said Governor Charles Soludo’s administration had to clear about N22 billion in gratuity arrears for retired state and local government workers and teachers, which accumulated from previous governments including Obi’s tenure.

He further alleged that eight foreign loans tied to projects executed during Obi’s time are still being serviced. The loans, covering malaria control, erosion, health, education and agriculture, stand at 92.35 million dollars, which is about N127.37 billion as at June 30, 2026.

The state also mentioned unpaid salaries for staff of the defunct Anambra Water Corporation, saying the arrears remained throughout Obi’s eight years in office.

Onanuga, reacting to the statement, said Obi claimed he left no debt but has now been confronted with documents showing outstanding obligations to teachers, Water Corporation staff and pensioners. He questioned if Obi would keep to his threat to withdraw from the race.

Obi has however stood by his record. He insists his government paid over N35 billion in inherited gratuities and arrears and did not owe workers at the time he left.

On the loans, Obi argues they were transparent project-tied facilities and not hidden debts. He also said his administration left N2.13 billion in a First Bank account for the Oko/Umuchiana erosion project untouched, alongside cash and investment savings.

The former governor has maintained his challenge that anyone with proof to the contrary should make it public, and that he would stop campaigning if established.

The exchange between the Presidency, the Anambra government and Peter Obi has reignited debate over legacy debts and accountability ahead of the 2027 elections.