The Anambra State Government has called on former governor Peter Obi to apologise to the people of the state, insisting that records released by the government support its claim that his administration left outstanding financial obligations.
The Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Law Mefor, made the demand as the dispute between the state government and Obi over Anambra’s finances continues.
Mefor said Obi had challenged the government and anyone else to provide evidence that his administration left debts when he handed over power in March 2014.
According to the commissioner, the state government responded by presenting records of eight external borrowing facilities associated with projects undertaken during Obi’s tenure.
The government said the facilities had a combined original value of about $123.77 million and that the outstanding balance stood at approximately $92.35 million, equivalent to about N127.4 billion, as of June 30, 2026. The state said the figures were based on records from the Debt Management Office (DMO).
Mefor said the loans were connected to areas including healthcare, malaria control, education, erosion management, agriculture and community development.
He accused Obi and his supporters of attempting to reinterpret the figures after the state government released the records.
“After we provided unassailable evidence in response to his challenge, he and his supporters have been hair-splitting,” Mefor said, accusing them of promoting what he described as “voodoo accounting.”
The commissioner also alleged that the former administration left other liabilities, including unpaid salaries, pensions and gratuities.
Mefor said successive administrations had continued to service the outstanding loan obligations through deductions from the state’s allocations from the Federation Account.
He further argued that Obi could not distance his administration from the loans simply because the facilities involved international development institutions.
According to the state government, the relevant agreements were executed during Obi’s tenure and therefore became obligations of the state.
“H.E. Peter Obi, you do not have to ‘go to a bank or DMO’ before your borrowing can be perfected. All that is required is for you to sign the loan agreements, and your government did,” the government said.
Mefor also challenged Obi’s position on the state’s wider financial position, arguing that having assets or savings does not automatically mean a government had no liabilities.
The commissioner said the dispute had now gone beyond figures and had become a question of public accountability and integrity.
He therefore called on Obi to acknowledge the state government’s position and apologise.
“You don’t continue digging when you are already at the bottom of the hole,” Mefor said.
The Anambra government has also maintained that it is not arguing that borrowing is inherently wrong, but that the financial obligations associated with projects undertaken during previous administrations must be properly accounted for.
However, Obi has continued to dispute the government’s interpretation of the figures. He has maintained that he did not personally borrow money or issue bonds on behalf of Anambra during his eight years as governor.
He has also argued that the state government is combining approved loan facilities, actual drawdowns and outstanding balances in a way that he says gives a misleading picture of the state’s debt position.
The former governor has previously said that he left Anambra without outstanding salaries, pensions, gratuities or certified contractor liabilities and has challenged the state government’s claims.
The disagreement comes as the 2027 election approaches, with Obi now seeking the presidency under the Nigeria Democratic Congress.
Source: Anambra State Government.
