Peter Obi is facing fresh questions over his financial record as Anambra State governor after Lere Olayinka, a senior aide to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, challenged him to provide evidence backing his claim that he left office without unpaid obligations.
Olayinka, the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication and Social Media to Wike, made the challenge on Wednesday. He urged the Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate to reconsider his campaign if evidence emerges to contradict his position.
Obi governed Anambra State from 2006 to 2014. He has insisted that his administration cleared outstanding obligations before handing over power.
The former governor recently challenged critics to produce evidence that his administration left unpaid salaries, pensions, gratuities or contractor liabilities. He also said his government cleared more than ₦35bn in historical arrears.
However, the Anambra State Government has disputed that account.
State officials say successive administrations inherited financial obligations linked to earlier governments. Commissioner for Finance Izuchukwu Okafor said Anambra still makes deductions from its federal allocations to service loans obtained under previous administrations, including those of Obi and Willie Obiano.
The government has also challenged Obi’s account of an ecological fund. It says a First Bank account identified by the former governor was not an ecological fund account and did not contain the amount he claimed.
Meanwhile, Peter Obi has maintained that he left Anambra without outstanding salaries, pensions or gratuities. He has also challenged anyone with contrary evidence to produce it.
The dispute has therefore shifted from political claims to questions about documentary evidence and the financial records of successive administrations.
As the 2027 presidential contest approaches, the conflicting accounts are likely to keep Anambra’s finances in the public spotlight.
