The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has called on the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race, following fresh allegations by the Anambra State Government over loans and financial liabilities incurred during his tenure as governor.
The APC campaign council, in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday by its spokesman, Dele Alake, accused Obi of presenting a misleading picture of his financial record in Anambra and challenged him to honour his earlier pledge to quit the presidential race if it is established that he left the state with outstanding liabilities.
The controversy follows claims by the Anambra State Government that Obi’s administration spent about $4.05 billion over eight years and contracted $123.77 million in external loans. The state government said eight external loan facilities linked to projects undertaken during the period remained outstanding, with the balance reportedly standing at about N127.4 billion as of June 30, 2026.
“According to the Anambra State Government, the former governor spent about USD 4.05 billion, or N5.4 trillion, over his eight years in office and contracted USD 123.77 million in external loans,” the statement noted.
The APC council said the loans were obtained for areas including malaria control, erosion management, education and healthcare, while subsequent administrations have continued to service the obligations.
It also alleged that workers in the state, including employees of the former Water Corporation, were owed salaries during Obi’s tenure. The council cited a memo dated April 25, 2006, from Obi’s then Chief of Staff, Chuks Ileogbunam, appealing for the release of N15 million monthly to pay the corporation’s workers.
The statement quoted the memo as saying, “Since it is your excellency’s unchanging desire to achieve a better future for our children and children’s children, please, Sir, bear in mind that officials of the Water Corporation also have children who are looking to your compassionate leadership. The President listens with compassion to your appeals on behalf of the children of Anambra. I am 200 per cent sure that you will hearken to the cries of the children whose parents work for the Water Corporation and end their ordeal.”
The APC campaign council further recalled Obi’s earlier promise that he would resign from the governorship if workers were not paid as and when due.
“Of course, he never meant to. He only deceived people into voting for him. When he left office in 2014, he left his successors with heavier arrears to clear,” the statement said.
The council then turned its attention to Obi’s current presidential ambition, urging him to withdraw from the race if the allegations concerning the liabilities left behind by his administration are established.
“We advise Obi to purge himself of his lies and seek the forgiveness of the Anambra people instead of galloping around platforms, parroting inanities,” the statement said.
It also criticised Obi over his recent solidarity visit to a person facing an Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) trial, linking the visit to broader questions about his political associations.
“Indeed, if Peter Obi has any honour, he must resign from the 2027 presidential race forthwith, in keeping with his promise to end his run if it is proven that his administration left behind liabilities in Anambra,” the statement said.
Obi, however, has rejected the allegations, maintaining that he settled all obligations due before handing over power in 2014. He has challenged the Anambra State Government to provide evidence to the contrary and said he would stop campaigning if his claim could be disproved.
The dispute over Anambra’s financial records has continued, with the state government maintaining that outstanding loans and other liabilities were inherited from previous administrations, while Obi and his supporters have disputed the government’s interpretation of the records.
