The Presidency has challenged Peter Obi, former Anambra governor and presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), to honour his pledge to quit the 2027 presidential race if it is established that he left outstanding financial obligations.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, issued the challenge in a post on X while reacting to the renewed controversy over liabilities allegedly inherited from Obi’s administration.
Obi had rejected claims by the Anambra Government that his administration left unpaid obligations.
He said his administration cleared more than N35 billion in historical gratuities and arrears and handed over the state without outstanding salaries, pensions, gratuities or debts to contractors for duly executed and certified projects.
Obi also challenged the state government to produce evidence that his administration left anyone unpaid.
“If anybody can establish anything to the contrary, I will stop campaigning,” he said.
Reacting, Onanuga recalled Obi’s pledge and said the former governor should act on it following figures released by the Anambra Government.
“Peter Obi claimed he left Anambra with a clean slate of debt and even threatened to quit the presidential race if his claims were proven otherwise,” Onanuga wrote.
“The ball is back in his court. Will he follow through on his threat by quitting the race?” he asked.
The Anambra Government had said eight external loans linked to projects undertaken during or associated with the Obi administration remained outstanding.
The state Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Law Mefor, said the loans had a combined balance of 92.35 million dollars, valued at about N127.37 billion as of June 30, 2026.
The loans, according to the government, were tied to projects in healthcare, education, erosion control, agriculture and community development.
The state also disputed Obi’s account of more than N2 billion in ecological funds for the Oko/Umuchiana erosion project.
Obi had said the funds were released shortly before the end of his tenure and kept intact because they were tied to the project.
He maintained that the money was neither a debt nor liability of his administration and was left for his successor to execute the project.
Obi has continued to reject the allegations, insisting that his administration settled the obligations due before handing over power.
