‘Prove I left debt and I’ll quit campaigning’ — Obi tells Soludo

The 2027 presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, has challenged Governor Charles Soludo’s administration to prove that he left debts behind as governor of Anambra State, according to Premium Times. In a Facebook post Tuesday, Obi vowed to end his presidential campaign if Soludo’s government could establish that he owed any debt when he exited office in 2014.

The challenge followed claims by Anambra’s Commissioner for Finance, Izuchukwu Okafor, who alleged during a podcast that Soludo’s administration was still repaying loans incurred by Obi and other past governors, including an unpaid ₦2.1 billion ecological fund.

Obi, who governed the state from 2006 to 2014, denied the allegations, saying he left no unpaid salaries, pensions, gratuities or contractor debts. He said his administration had liquidated historical arrears worth over ₦35 billion before leaving office.

On the ecological fund, Obi said the money was received from the federal government three months before his tenure ended and was deliberately left untouched in a First Bank account, with a balance exceeding ₦2.13 billion, for his successor, Willie Obiano, to manage an erosion project. He said the sum was separate from over ₦75 billion in savings his government left behind.

“If anybody can establish anything to the contrary, I will stop campaigning,” Obi said.