Peter Obi Denies Borrowing for Anambra, Says He Left Office Without Unpaid Debts

The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has denied borrowing money or issuing bonds on behalf of Anambra State during his eight-year tenure as governor, insisting that he left office without unpaid salaries, pensions, gratuities or verified contractors’ bills.

Obi made the remarks during an appearance on Arise TV’s Prime Time programme on Thursday, while responding to allegations by the Anambra State Government that his administration left outstanding debts and other financial liabilities for successive governments to service.

The former governor said he left office in March 2014 without owing workers their salaries, pensions or gratuities. He also maintained that contractors and suppliers who had completed and received certification for their jobs were fully paid.

Obi argued that some of the funds being attributed to his administration came through Federal Government-supported financing arrangements rather than direct borrowing from commercial banks. He cited a concessionary multilateral support programme involving Anambra, Ekiti and Bauchi states, which he said was linked to their performance in education.

According to Obi, the funding involved the World Bank and the State Education Programme Investment Project (SEPIP). He claimed that the drawdown of funds under the programme occurred after he had left office and argued that undrawn portions of a loan facility should not automatically be treated as debt incurred by his administration.

To support his position, Obi cited former Director-General of the Debt Management Office, Abraham Nwankwo, whom he said had publicly praised him for not seeking approval to borrow money during his tenure as governor.

The dispute intensified after the Anambra State Government accused Obi of leaving outstanding external loans, salary arrears, pension and gratuity liabilities. The government reportedly put the outstanding balance of eight external borrowings at about $123.77 million, equivalent to approximately ₦127.4 billion as of June 30, 2026.

The state also disputed Obi’s claims about the financial position of the government when he left office. Meanwhile, the NDC and the Peter Obi-backed OK Movement criticised Governor Chukwuma Soludo over his comments on the former governor, urging him to focus on governing Anambra rather than engaging in political exchanges ahead of the 2027 presidential election.