Anambra govt releases Peter Obi’s alleged debt records during tenure as governor

The Anambra State Government has accused former governor Peter Obi of leaving behind external debts and unpaid pension and gratuity obligations when he left office in March 2014. In a statement signed by Commissioner for Information and Value Reformation, Law Mefor, the government said eight external loans contracted during Obi’s administration had an outstanding balance of N127.4bn as of June 30, 2026.

According to the statement, as reported by Daily Post, Obi contracted $123.77m in external debt during his eight-year tenure, with the loans funding projects including malaria control, erosion management, education, healthcare and community development. The government said the loans had continued to attract servicing obligations, adding that the state had been paying hundreds of millions of naira monthly. It also disputed Obi’s claim of leaving office without outstanding liabilities, saying verified salary, gratuity and pension arrears remained from his administration and earlier governments.

The government further criticised Obi’s claims concerning the state’s public finances, saying his administration spent about $4.05bn over eight years. It maintained that borrowing was not inherently problematic when used for productive projects, but called for transparency over the obligations inherited by successive administrations. Anambra’s official documents show the state has continued to publish debt and budget records, while the Debt Management Office maintains regular sub-national debt reports.