Peter Obi Challenges Soludo: “Find One Person I Owed, I’ll End My 2027 Campaign
Awka/Abuja – September 15, 2026—Former Anambra State Governor and 2027 presidential hopeful Peter Obi has strongly denied claims linking his administration to outstanding state debts, issuing a bold public challenge to Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s government.
Responding to remarks by Anambra’s Commissioner for Finance, Izuchukwu Okafor, Obi declared that he left office nearly 13 years ago without owing salaries, pensions, gratuities, suppliers, or contractors.
“I left office as Governor nearly 13 years ago. On the day I left the office, I was not owing any salaries, pensions, gratuities or any money that the Anambra State Government was supposed to pay.
I did not owe a single supplier or contractor. If you find even one person I owed, I will end my 2027 campaign today,” Obi said in a widely circulated video statement.
What Triggered the Exchange
The latest flashpoint arose after Okafor appeared on the Voice of Ndi Anambra podcast. He disclosed that monthly deductions from Anambra’s Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) allocations are still being made to service loans contracted by previous administrations, including those of Peter Obi (2006–2014) and Willie Obiano (2014–2022).
Okafor emphasized that the Soludo administration has not borrowed from any commercial bank since taking office in 2022.
He claimed the state has reduced its overall debt burden by more than 83 per cent, brought domestic debt close to zero, and cleared backlogs of unpaid contracts, gratuities, and pensions.
“These loans were borrowed during the time of Peter Obi and Willie Obiano, the past governors,” the commissioner stated.
Obi’s Counter and Ecological Fund Claim
Obi rejected any suggestion that his tenure left the state with unpaid obligations to workers, pensioners, or contractors.
His media aide, Valentine Obienyem, separately clarified that a ₦2.14 billion ecological fund allocation for erosion control in Ekwulobia was not a loan and remained intact in a First Bank account (Account Number 2018779464) with a balance of ₦2,139,951,400 as of March 17, 2014, when Obi handed over.
Obi has previously maintained that he left substantial savings, including foreign currency deposits, and has repeatedly challenged critics to produce evidence of unpaid liabilities from his time in office.
A Familiar Political Friction
The exchange is the latest in a series of public disagreements between Obi and Soludo over Anambra’s financial record.
Relations between the two have remained tense in recent years, particularly as Obi positions himself for the 2027 presidential race under the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) while Soludo continues his second term as governor.
Supporters of Obi view his challenge as a confident defence of his governance legacy. Critics argue that the Soludo government is simply stating the reality of long-term loan servicing that spans multiple administrations.
Broader Context
Anambra’s debt management has been a recurring theme since Soludo assumed office. Upon taking over in 2022, the current administration reported inheriting significant liabilities and limited cash reserves.
Officials now point to aggressive repayment and restraint on new commercial borrowing as evidence of improved fiscal discipline.
As the 2027 election cycle gathers momentum, the public dispute over historical debts is likely to remain a point of political contention in Anambra and beyond.
Both sides have called for transparency. Obi has invited verification of his claims, while the Soludo government continues to highlight its debt-reduction figures and ongoing FAAC deductions for older facilities.
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