By Daily Review Online
Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has denied having any disagreement with Anambra State Governor, Charles Soludo, amid the controversy over the state’s debt profile.
Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, also urged governors across the country to allow all presidential candidates and other political contenders to campaign freely in their states ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a statement posted on his X handle on Friday and released by the Peter Obi Media Office spokesman, Idris Zekeri, Obi said he had remained silent in recent days because he was mourning the death of his friend and brother, Chief Okey Ezeibe.
He, however, said he had decided to respond to issues that had generated public debate, particularly the controversy surrounding Anambra’s debt.
“I wish to assure the public that I have no disagreement with my dear elder brother, Governor Soludo, or with any governor in Nigeria,” Obi said.
He added that he was not interested in returning to the office of governor, even if the Constitution was amended to allow him to do so.
Obi urged governors to support their preferred presidential candidates while ensuring that other candidates were also given the opportunity to campaign without obstruction.
“Ultimately, voters should be allowed to determine whom they wish to serve,” he said.
On the Anambra debt controversy, Obi rejected claims that he left behind $123.77 million in loans when he handed over power in March 2014.
He said that as governor, he neither approached any financial institution to borrow money nor issued a bond on behalf of Anambra State.
Obi cited the then Director-General of the Debt Management Office (DMO), Abraham Nwankwo, who, according to him, had publicly stated at his farewell ceremony that Obi was the only state governor during Nwankwo’s 10-year tenure who had not approached the DMO for a loan facility.
He further said that when he left office, the state had no outstanding salaries, gratuities or pensions, and did not owe contractors or suppliers whose completed works had been verified and certified.
Addressing the World Bank-related financing included in the debt controversy, Obi said the facilities were concessionary development funds secured by the Federal Government for selected states to implement specific development programmes.
According to him, repayment on such facilities is spread over between 25 and 30 years.
He argued that three separate figures should be distinguished: the total amount approved for a multiyear development programme, the amount actually drawn by Anambra during his tenure, and the balance outstanding when he handed over on March 17, 2014.
Obi accused the state government of combining the figures and describing the resulting $123.77 million as “loans left by Peter Obi.”
He maintained that the eight facilities cited were largely World Bank and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) development programmes negotiated by the Federal Government, with participating states accessing the funds through subsidiary arrangements.
“They were not conventional commercial loans that I personally secured during my tenure,” Obi said.
He nevertheless acknowledged that Anambra had repayment obligations under the facilities, stressing that each facility should be examined based on its approval, effectiveness, drawdown and repayment history.
Obi also questioned what he described as a contradiction between the state government’s figures and DMO records.
He said the government claimed that the original facilities amounted to about $123.77 million, with $92.35 million still outstanding as of June 2026.
However, according to Obi, DMO records showed that Anambra’s total external debt stood at about $18 million when he assumed office in March 2006, about $30 million when he left office in March 2014, and approximately $45.15 million as of December 31, 2014.
He therefore challenged the state government to explain how Anambra could have inherited $123.77 million from him when the recorded external debt was about $30 million at the time he left office.
Obi also claimed that he left more than $150 million as the dollar component of his investment in Anambra State.
He said the investment, based on documents he made available, was expected to generate about $10 million annually for the state if left untouched.
According to him, over 13 years, such income would have amounted to approximately $130 million.
He further claimed that with compound interest and additional income, the funds would be worth about $335 million today.
“If they had chosen to repay the US$92.35 million funding, the entire amount would have been covered, leaving approximately US$242 million to be reinvested,” he said.
Obi maintained that Anambra was in a strong financial position when he left office and said he stood by his record as governor.
He said he would not engage in further exchanges over his tenure in Anambra, adding that his attention was now focused on issues affecting Nigerians.
“My focus will now be on issues affecting the suffering Nigerian masses, which is the reason for my presidential ambition,” he said.