The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has released his handover document as evidence to counter claims by the Anambra State Government that his administration left behind loans and other outstanding financial liabilities.
The document, dated March 17, 2024, was published on Wednesday by the Interim National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, Dr Yinusa Tanko, and contains a summary of the financial position of Anambra State at the close of business on the day Obi handed over power.
According to the document, the state had a net positive balance of more than N86 billion at the end of Obi’s administration.
The development followed a fresh dispute between Obi and the administration of Governor Chukwuma Soludo over the state’s debt profile.
The Anambra State Government had earlier said it was still servicing loans obtained by previous administrations, including those of Obi and his successor, Willie Obiano.
The Commissioner for Finance, Izuchukwu Okafor, made the claim on Sunday while speaking on the Ndi Anambra podcast released by the state government’s New Media team.
Okafor said the inherited loans remained part of the financial obligations being serviced by the current administration, despite the Soludo administration’s decision not to obtain fresh commercial bank loans since assuming office.
Obi rejected the claim and challenged the state government to produce evidence to substantiate its position. He also said he would discontinue his campaign for the 2027 presidential election if the allegation could be proven.
The state government subsequently disputed Obi’s claim that he left office without outstanding debts or other unpaid financial obligations.
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, said Obi’s position on the state’s debt profile was false.
Mefor claimed that eight external loans linked to projects implemented during Obi’s administration, or inherited by it, remained outstanding.
According to the commissioner, the loans had a combined balance of $92.35 million, which the state government valued at N127.37 billion as of June 30, 2026.
The release of Obi’s handover document now places the financial records presented at the end of his administration at the centre of the dispute, with both sides maintaining conflicting positions on the liabilities inherited by subsequent administrations.
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