Anambra Govt Publishes DMO Records of Eight External Loans After Peter Obi Pledges to End 2027 Campaign If Indebtedness Is Proven

The Anambra State Government has published Debt Management Office (DMO) records of eight external loans which it said remained outstanding from previous administrations, following former Governor Peter Obi’s pledge to end his 2027 presidential campaign if indebtedness from his tenure is established.The development followed comments by Anambra State Commissioner for Finance, Izuchukwu Okafor, who said the state was still servicing long-term external liabilities inherited from previous administrations, including the administrations of Obi and former Governor Willie Obiano.Obi rejected the claim in a statement titled “Phantom Debts and Ecological Loan Fallacy,” saying he left office on March 17, 2014, without outstanding debt, salary arrears or unpaid contractor liabilities.Obi said his administration also left ₦75 billion in cash and sovereign savings and challenged the state government to provide evidence that he left anyone indebted.“If you find even one person I owed, I will end my 2027 campaign today,” Obi said.He also said that if banks established that he did not leave the amount of money he mentioned, he would stop campaigning for the 2027 presidential election.In response, Anambra State Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Law Mefor, released a statement titled “Gov Peter Obi and Record of Public Debt in Anambra: Facts Beyond Propaganda and Lies.”The state government said records from the DMO showed eight external loans associated with projects contracted during the period of Obi’s administration.According to the document released by the government, the eight loans had a combined contracted value of $123,771,179.30, while $92,353,182.00 remained outstanding as of June 30, 2026.The first loan listed was the Malaria Control Booster Project, signed on May 21, 2007, with an original amount of $9,467,700. The government said $4,482,405.27 remained outstanding as of June 30, 2026.It listed the Third National Fadama Development Project, signed on August 4, 2009, at $7,179,281.90, with an outstanding balance of $4,379,315.32.The Health System Development Project II Additional Financing, signed on August 18, 2009, was listed at $4,124,992.56, with $2,043,022.56 outstanding.The government also listed an additional financing facility for the Malaria Control Booster Project, signed on December 30, 2009, at $4,429,327.10, with an outstanding balance of $3,170,939.96.The State Education Programme Investment Project, signed on July 30, 2013, was listed at $48,333,333, with $37,343,825.28 outstanding as of June 30, 2026.The Community and Social Development Project, signed on March 30, 2009, was listed at $4,842,500, with $3,702,152.85 outstanding.The Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project, signed on July 30, 2013, was listed at $37,894,044.74, with $34,862,521.14 outstanding.The eighth facility, the Value Chain Development Project, was signed on July 30, 2013, at $7.5 million, with $2,375,000 outstanding as of June 30, 2026.The government said the loans covered projects in areas including health, education, agriculture, erosion control and community development.Salary Arrears and Other LiabilitiesThe state government also disputed Obi’s claim that his administration left no outstanding worker liabilities.According to the statement, salary arrears involving workers of the defunct Anambra State Water Corporation remained outstanding after Obi left office.The government said the current administration had reached a settlement arrangement involving the arrears and had paid the first two instalments of the agreed three-installment settlement.The government further said that Obi’s administration verified and certified 16 months of historical salary arrears owed to primary school teachers under the local government system.It said five months of the arrears were paid in tranches, leaving 11 months unpaid.Dispute Over ₦2.13 Billion AccountObi also referred to a First Bank account, number 2018779464, which he said contained ₦2.13 billion meant for ecological interventions.He said the money was left untouched for the incoming administration to use for erosion control in Oko and Umuchiana.The Anambra State Government disputed the claim.According to Mefor, the government obtained a certified printout of the account and the document identified it as an Internally Generated Revenue-Consolidated Revenue Account rather than an ecological fund account.The government further said the account had not recorded ₦2.13 billion as either an inflow or balance from the time it was opened in 2011.Obi has maintained that the money was available when he left office and was intended for ecological intervention.The state government also disputed Obi’s claim that his administration left more than ₦75 billion in cash and savings, citing the financial records it released.The claims by the former governor and the response by the state government form the latest development in the dispute over Anambra’s financial position at the end of Obi’s tenure.