Former Anambra State governor and Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate for the 2027 election, Peter Obi, has rejected claims that his administration left the state with outstanding debt.
Obi insisted that he neither borrowed money from financial institutions nor issued bonds during his eight years in office.
He made the clarification on Arise TV’s Prime Time programme on Thursday while responding to allegations by the Anambra State government that several external borrowing facilities linked to his tenure remain liabilities being serviced by successive administrations.
Obi maintained he handed over the state in March 2014 without unpaid salaries, gratuities, or pensions due from the state government, and without outstanding payments to contractors or suppliers whose completed work had been certified and verified.
The former governor also disputed the description of multilateral development funding as loans personally obtained by his administration. He explained that some of the facilities were arranged through the Federal Government and involved institutions such as the World Bank to support development programmes, particularly in education.
According to Obi, the distinction between approved facilities, funds actually drawn during his tenure and amounts that became payable later is important in determining whether his administration incurred the debt being attributed to it.
He argued that funds made available under such programmes should not automatically be treated as money borrowed directly by the state government under his administration.
The dispute follows claims by the Anambra State government that eight external borrowing facilities associated with previous administrations had left an outstanding balance of about N127.4 billion as of June 30, 2026.
The state government has said the liabilities continue to be serviced through public funds.
Obi rejected the interpretation of the figure, arguing that the facilities should be examined individually rather than combined into a single debt attributed to his tenure. He also said some of the funds were not drawn down until after he had left office.
He further maintained that even under a scenario in which the entire amount in question was treated as an obligation, the financial position he left behind would have been sufficient to meet it. He said his administration handed over substantial funds and investments that, in his account, demonstrated that the state remained financially capable when he left office as governor.
The former governor also referred to Abraham Nwankwo, who served as Director-General of the Debt Management Office, saying Nwankwo had publicly acknowledged at his farewell ceremony that Obi was the only governor who did not visit his office seeking approval to borrow money during his tenure.
