Former Anambra State Governor and Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has rejected claims that his administration left behind debts running into billions of naira, including a purported ₦2 billion ecological loan, contractor liabilities and unpaid salaries, gratuities and pensions.
Obi made the clarification in a post on his official Facebook page on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, describing the allegations as “phantom debts” and insisting that his administration left Anambra without outstanding obligations in the areas cited.
“My attention has been drawn to trending claims by the Anambra State Government that my administration left behind inherited debts, including a ₦2 billion ecological loan, contractor liabilities, and unpaid salaries, gratuities, and pensions. This is completely false,” Obi said.
The former governor said his administration had systematically cleared historical gratuities and arrears accumulated over several years, putting the total amount liquidated at more than ₦35 billion.
He maintained that at the time he handed over power, the state had no outstanding salary, gratuity or pension obligations, while contractors who had duly executed and obtained certification for their projects were also fully paid.
“We systematically liquidated historical gratuities and arrears dating back several years, amounting to over ₦35 billion,” he said.
“At the point of handover, the state owed nothing in salaries, gratuities, or pensions, nor did we owe anything to any contractor for projects duly executed and certified.”
Obi also specifically addressed the claim concerning the alleged ₦2 billion ecological loan, explaining that the money was released less than three months before the end of his administration for the Oko/Umuchiana erosion crisis.
According to him, despite pressure to utilise the funds before leaving office, he deliberately refused to spend the money, insisting that it should be preserved for the incoming administration because government remained a continuum and the funds were earmarked for a specific project.
“The ₦2 billion ecological fund in question was released barely three months before the end of my tenure for the Oko/Umuchiana erosion crisis,” Obi said.
“Despite pressure to spend the money, I refused, insisting that it should be left for my successor because government is a continuum and the funds were tied to a specific project.”
He further disclosed that the funds were left untouched in an account with First Bank, identifying the account as No. 2018779464, with a balance of more than ₦2.13 billion.
“The money was therefore left 100 per cent intact in First Bank, in Account No. 2018779464, with a balance of over ₦2.13 billion,” he stated.
Obi stressed that funds earmarked for specific projects or reserved for particular purposes were not included in the more than ₦75 billion in savings he said his administration left for its successor.
“It is important to stress that funds tied to specific projects or set aside for particular purposes were not even included in the over ₦75 billion in savings we left behind,” he said.
The former governor challenged anyone capable of proving that his administration left behind the alleged debts to produce evidence, declaring that he was prepared to withdraw from political campaigning if the claims could be established.
“If anybody can establish anything to the contrary, I will stop campaigning,” Obi declared.
