The Anambra State Government has rejected former governor Peter Obi’s claim that his administration left more than ₦2.13 billion in an ecological fund account when he handed over power in 2014.
The dispute is part of a growing political argument over the financial obligations and assets inherited by successive administrations in the state, with the government and Obi presenting different accounts of the state’s finances at the time of the handover.
Obi, who is now the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), had challenged the state government and other critics to provide evidence that his administration left behind unpaid salaries, pensions, gratuities, contractor liabilities or other debts.
He said his administration had cleared more than ₦35 billion in historical gratuity and arrears before leaving office, insisting that the state had no outstanding obligations to workers, pensioners or contractors whose projects had been completed and certified.
The former governor also addressed the controversy surrounding an ecological fund intended for erosion control in Oko and Umuchiana. Obi said the money was released about three months before the end of his tenure and that he deliberately left it untouched for his successor because it was tied to a specific project.
He identified a First Bank account and said it contained more than ₦2.13 billion at the time he left office. Obi further maintained that the ecological funds were separate from the more than ₦75 billion in savings he has said his administration left behind.
However, the Anambra State Government has disputed the account. Reports indicate that the government said the bank account identified by Obi was not an ecological fund account and challenged the former governor’s description of the money.
The state government has also maintained that the current administration is servicing loans and other financial obligations inherited from previous administrations, including those associated with the periods when Obi and former Governor Willie Obiano were in office.
Anambra Commissioner for Finance, Izuchukwu Okafor, previously said the state was still making repayments on inherited obligations. According to Premium Times, he said the Soludo administration had not obtained commercial bank loans since taking office but was servicing debts inherited from earlier administrations.
The government has reportedly released debt records as part of its response to the controversy, with one report putting the outstanding balance on external loans linked to previous administrations at ₦127.37 billion as of June 30, 2026.
The latest exchange has intensified scrutiny of Obi’s record as Anambra governor, particularly as he campaigns for the presidency ahead of the 2027 general election.
Obi has repeatedly maintained that his administration left Anambra in a stronger financial position and has challenged critics to produce documentary evidence to contradict his account.
The controversy now centres on the records from the 2014 handover, the nature of the loans being serviced by the state and the status of the ecological funds cited by Obi.
With both sides maintaining different positions, official financial records and documentary evidence are likely to remain central to resolving the dispute.
