Abuja, Nigeria — September 17, 2026.
DDNEWS | POLITICS
The Presidency has broken its silence on the escalating dispute between former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, and the Anambra State Government over the state’s debt liabilities.
The Presidency has called on both parties to rely on official records and relevant institutions to resolve the dispute, but has also seized the moment to challenge Obi’s political brand.
The row escalated after the Anambra State Government confronted Obi with official data, alleging he left behind massive liabilities as governor. The state government claimed Anambra is still servicing eight external loans inherited from the Obi era, borrowed for malaria control, education and erosion projects. According to the government, hundreds of millions of naira are still being deducted monthly from state allocations to service the loans.
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The government also disputed Obi’s claim that he left over two billion naira untouched in a First Bank account for the Oko and Umuchiana erosion crisis. The state countered that a certified printout shows the account was a standard Internally Generated Revenue Consolidated Revenue account and had never held that balance.
Following the state’s data release, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu, entered the fray. Onanuga recalled that Obi had previously vowed on national television that he would quit campaigning if anyone could prove he left behind unpaid debts or liabilities.
Onanuga declared that the ball is back in Obi’s court and asked if he will now follow through on his threat to quit the presidential race.
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The Presidency also cited the state’s specific grievances, including unpaid salaries to Water Corporation workers, owed teacher pensions and borrowing for what it described as frivolous things, to argue that Obi’s record of financial prudence is false.
In a swift reaction, Obi’s team dismissed Onanuga’s statements, describing the Federal Government’s intervention as the actions of a meddlesome interloper trying to turn a state governance matter into a cheap political campaign point.
Analysts say the dispute has evolved from a local governance audit into a politicized proxy confrontation targeting Peter Obi’s reputation for financial integrity. While the Presidency leverages the debt claims to challenge Obi’s fiscal legacy, the opposition has dismissed the narrative as a coordinated smear campaign amid broader economic challenges.
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By aggressively demanding that Peter Obi honour his pledge to withdraw, the ruling All Progressives Congress administration has signalled an early onslaught against its core opposition, aiming to puncture Obi’s foundational brand built on fiscal discipline, transparency and impeccable record keeping.
By: Komolafe Barakah | DDNEWS