APC campaign council asks Obi to quit 2027 presidential race over Anambra debt
The All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council has asked Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra State, to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race over alleged debts incurred by his administration.
Dele Alake, spokesperson for the council, made the call in a statement on Monday while reacting to recent disclosures by the Anambra State Government on loans obtained during Obi’s eight-year tenure.
The state government said Obi’s administration contracted $123.77 million in external loans during his eight years in office.
It said eight external borrowing facilities were still outstanding when Obi left office on March 17, 2014.
According to the state government, the loans were obtained for projects covering malaria control, education, healthcare, erosion management, community development and agricultural value-chain development.
The government said the outstanding balance stood at $92.35 million, equivalent to N127.37 billion, as of June 30, 2026.
It added that successive administrations, including that of Chukwuma Soludo, had continued to service the loans.
Obi, who is the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), rejected the claims, saying he left office without outstanding debts, unpaid salaries, pensions, gratuities or payments owed to contractors for completed and certified projects.
However, Alake said the state government’s disclosures contradicted Obi’s claim that he left Anambra without a debt burden.
“Borrowing is not injudicious if used for development. But for a man who prides himself on being austere and has frequently claimed he left the state with a clean bill of health, the revelations confirmed what has long been held: Obi is an irredeemable liar, a mediocre governor, unfit for leadership anywhere,” Alake said.
He also accused Obi’s administration of failing to pay workers’ salaries in some ministries, citing protests by staff of the Anambra State Water Corporation over unpaid salaries.
Alake referred to a 2006 memo purportedly written by Chuks Ileogbunam, then chief of staff to Obi, requesting the release of N15 million for the monthly salaries of workers of the state water corporation.
According to Alake, the memo was written after workers threatened to protest over unpaid salaries.
He said Obi had promised during his campaign for governor that he would resign if workers were not paid as and when due.
Alake said Obi should honour a similar pledge he made regarding the 2027 presidential election if it is established that his administration left financial liabilities for Anambra State.
The APC campaign council said Obi should withdraw from the presidential race if it is proven that his administration left liabilities for the state.
The development comes amid an ongoing dispute between Obi and the Anambra State Government over the financial record of his administration.
Obi has challenged the state government to substantiate its claim that his administration left outstanding debts when he handed over power in 2014.
