The Anambra State Government has responded to former governor and 2027 presidential candidate Peter Obi’s claims about the financial position he left behind, arguing that governance should focus primarily on citizens’ welfare rather than accumulated savings.
The state government also alleged that Obi’s administration failed to fully disclose some of its outstanding liabilities in the handover documents prepared when he left office in 2014.
The disagreement follows repeated claims by the current administration that Obi left about $123.77 million in debt when he handed over power.
Obi has denied the allegation, maintaining that his administration left more than $150 million in savings and investments for the state.
He argued that returns from those investments would have been sufficient to offset any alleged debt while preserving the principal.
Obi has also challenged the state government to provide evidence that his administration left unpaid debts, salaries, pensions or verified liabilities to contractors.
Anambra Government Responds
Reacting to Obi’s position, the state government released documents which it said showed that his administration left about ₦363 million in salary arrears, alongside other outstanding obligations.
In a statement issued on Saturday by the Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Law Mefor, the government questioned the emphasis placed on financial savings and investment returns.
The commissioner argued that government performance should be measured by improvements in the living conditions and welfare of citizens, rather than the amount of money kept in banks.
Mefor also alleged that Anambra faced significant development challenges during Obi’s tenure, including infrastructure deficits, weaknesses in public health and education, inadequate access to pipe-borne water and widespread gully erosion.
The government maintained that greater investment in infrastructure and human capital could produce broader social and economic benefits than simply earning interest on funds held in financial institutions.
The dispute between Obi and the Anambra State Government remains centred on the state’s financial position at the end of his administration, with both sides presenting different accounts of the debts, savings and obligations inherited by subsequent administrations.