The Peter Obi 2027 race has come under fresh pressure after the Presidency challenged the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate to honour his pledge to stop campaigning if claims about debts left by his administration in Anambra State are proven.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, issued the challenge in a post on X on Wednesday.
Onanuga said Obi had claimed he left Anambra without outstanding debts when he completed his tenure as governor.
He also referred to Obi’s statement that he would stop his presidential campaign if anyone could prove that his administration left unpaid financial obligations.
The dispute began after Anambra State officials said the government was still servicing loans and other liabilities inherited from previous administrations.
The state Commissioner for Finance, Izuchukwu Okafor, said deductions were being made from the state’s monthly federal allocation to repay loans linked to past administrations, including those of Obi and former Governor Willie Obiano.
Obi has rejected the allegations. He said his administration cleared more than ₦35 billion in historical gratuities and arrears.
He also maintained that he left office without outstanding salaries, pensions, gratuities or unpaid obligations to contractors for completed and certified projects.
The former governor further disputed claims surrounding a ₦2 billion ecological fund. He said the money was released shortly before he left office for the Oko/Umuchiana erosion crisis and was left untouched for his successor.
However, the Anambra government has challenged that account. The state’s Commissioner for Information, Law Mefor, said the account identified by Obi was not an ecological fund account and disputed the reported balance.
As a result, the Peter Obi 2027 race has become linked to a renewed debate over Anambra’s financial records.
Onanuga has now asked whether Obi will follow through on his pledge if the state’s claims are established.
The controversy remains centred on competing claims about debts, funds and financial obligations allegedly connected to previous administrations.
