Anambra Challenges Obi to Quit 2027 Race, Releases Document on Alleged Salary Arrears

By Our Reporter

The Anambra State Government has escalated its dispute with former governor and 2027 presidential candidate Peter Obi, challenging him to withdraw from the presidential race and releasing a 2006 document it says raises questions about his claim that workers were paid as and when due.

The latest confrontation comes amid a widening dispute over the financial liabilities Obi allegedly left behind when he handed over power in March 2014.

In a statement posted on its official X account on Tuesday, September 22, the Anambra New Media Office asked: “When will Peter Obi quit presidential campaign?”

The state government recalled Obi’s reported pledge that he would withdraw from the presidential race if it could be established that he left Anambra in debt. It also cited a campaign promise attributed to him that he would resign as governor if workers were not paid on time.

The government alleged that both conditions were breached.

“He vowed to quit the presidential race if proven he left Anambra in debt. As governor, he vowed to resign if workers weren’t paid on time. He broke both. He left office in 2014 with heavier arrears,” the government said.

2006 Document Cited Over Salary Arrears

To support its claim concerning unpaid workers, the state government published a letter dated April 25, 2006, purportedly signed by Chuks Iloegbunam, who was then Obi’s Chief of Staff.

The document, titled “GUBERNATORIAL PREROGATIVE,” appealed to Obi to address salary arrears owed workers of the Anambra State Water Corporation.

The letter stated that the corporation’s monthly wage bill was about N15 million and that its workers had last received their salaries in February.

It also referred directly to a pledge in Obi’s campaign manifesto that the governor would resign if workers were not paid “as and when due.”

“Your Excellency, Water Corporation workers were last paid in February. Please rectify this anomaly so that you can forge ahead with the good work you are doing,” the letter stated.

The document further appealed to the governor to place the Water Corporation among government agencies funded through subventions, arguing that this would prevent workers from repeatedly approaching his office over unpaid salaries.

The authenticity and context of the document have not been independently established, and the former Chief of Staff has yet to publicly respond to the latest claim.

Dispute Over Anambra’s Debt

The latest exchange is part of a broader disagreement between the administration of Governor Chukwuma Soludo and Obi over the financial position of Anambra when Obi left office.

The state government recently alleged that Obi’s administration contracted $123.77 million in external loans, with eight borrowing facilities still outstanding.

Using the official exchange rate, the government said the outstanding balance of the loans stood at approximately N127.4 billion as of June 30, 2026.

It said the loans were obtained for projects including healthcare, education, malaria control and erosion management, and that the state continues to service the obligations.

The government also alleged that outstanding salary, pension and gratuity obligations from Obi’s tenure remained unresolved.

Obi Rejects Allegations

Obi has rejected the allegations and maintained that he left office without outstanding salaries, pensions, gratuities or liabilities to contractors whose projects had been duly executed and certified.

He said his administration cleared more than N35 billion in historical gratuities and arrears.

Obi also challenged the Anambra government to provide evidence that his administration left behind the liabilities alleged, pledging to stop campaigning for the presidency if such evidence was produced.

Presidency Joins the Dispute

The controversy has also attracted the attention of the Federal Government.

Presidential aide Bayo Onanuga challenged Obi to honour his pledge following the Anambra government’s allegations concerning the state’s debt profile.

Obi’s media aide, Idris Zekeri Jnr, rejected the intervention, describing the Presidency’s involvement as that of a “meddlesome interloper.”

Zekeri said a team of former officials who served under Obi was preparing a detailed response to the issues raised by the Anambra government.

Competing Claims Await Further Verification

At the centre of the controversy are competing accounts of Anambra’s financial position at the end of Obi’s tenure.

The state government says official records show outstanding loans and legacy arrears, while Obi maintains that he cleared the obligations due from his administration and handed over the state without unpaid salaries, pensions, gratuities or certified contractor liabilities.

The competing claims have not been independently resolved, making documentary evidence and official financial records central to determining the accuracy of the assertions from both sides.

The dispute is expected to remain part of the political debate surrounding Obi’s 2027 presidential campaign.