The Anambra State Government has challenged former governor Peter Obi to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race, citing what it described as inconsistencies between his campaign promises and the state’s records on debts and workers’ salary arrears.
The state government made the challenge through its New Media Office in a statement published on Tuesday, as the dispute over the financial records of Obi’s administration continues to generate political controversy ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to the government, Obi had previously pledged to withdraw from the presidential contest if it was established that he left Anambra State with outstanding debts.
It also alleged that the former governor had promised during his tenure to resign if workers were not paid as and when due.
To support its position on the salary issue, the government released a letter dated April 25, 2006, purportedly signed by Chuks Iloegbunam, who was Obi’s Chief of Staff at the time. The letter reportedly appealed for the payment of salary arrears owed to workers of the Anambra State Water Corporation.
The document stated that the corporation’s monthly salary bill was about ₦15 million and that its workers had last received their salaries in February.
However, reports noted that the letter was dated only about five weeks after Obi assumed office in March 2006, meaning the arrears referred to in the document may have originated under the previous administration. The authenticity of the document and circumstances surrounding the arrears have also not been independently established.
The Anambra government further alleged that eight external loan facilities contracted during Obi’s administration remained outstanding. It put the balance at about $92.35 million, equivalent to approximately ₦127.4 billion based on the exchange rate cited by the state, as of June 30, 2026.
The loans were reportedly connected to projects involving healthcare, education, malaria control, erosion management and other development programmes.
Obi has rejected the allegations, maintaining that his administration cleared more than ₦35 billion in inherited gratuities and arrears. He has also insisted that he left office without outstanding salaries, pensions, gratuities or certified liabilities owed to contractors.
The former governor previously challenged anyone to prove that he left Anambra with unpaid liabilities, saying he would stop his presidential campaign if evidence to the contrary was established.
Obi has also disputed claims concerning funds allegedly left in a First Bank account for an erosion-control project. He said more than ₦2.13 billion remained untouched in the account when he left office.
The Anambra government, however, disputed the description of the account, saying its records showed that it was an Internally Generated Revenue Consolidated Revenue Account and did not contain the amount claimed by Obi.
The dispute has attracted wider political attention, with the APC Presidential Campaign Council also calling on Obi to honour his earlier pledge over the debt controversy. Obi’s media team has said former officials who served in his administration are preparing a detailed response to the allegations.
The controversy comes as political parties and candidates intensify preparations for the 2027 presidential election, with Obi expected to remain a major figure in the opposition political realignment.
