Politics

Payment of fuel subsidy is organised crime, says Obi

Published

4 years ago

September 20, 2022

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• LCCI president: Tinubu is next to address private sector in October
• Group accuses Oshiomhole of using Obi’s popularity to seek relevance
• LP candidate tells Nigerians to vote character, competence
• Okowa to Bode Goerge: Delta PDP intact, not in crisis
• Wabara meets Fintiri in Yola over Ayu

The presidential candidate of Labour Party, Peter Obi, on Monday, said government was behind oil theft in the country.

Obi, who was the guest speaker at the second in the series of Private Sector Economic Forum of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) for presidential candidates, asserted that it was impossible for an ordinary Nigerian to steal oil without the cooperation of government.

“Payment of oil subsidy as currently practiced in Nigeria is an organised crime. We need an aggressive production of local refining. Make resources available to ensure a private-sector led oil refining,” the former Anambra State governor advised the Federal Government.

The presidential candidate who made the remarks, while answering questions from panellists at the event, also reacted to a question on the issue of cost of governance. “I have allergies to waste,” he said, alleging that 50 per cent of the claimed subsidy being paid was ‘corruption’.

Speaking on challenges relating to high exchange rate, Obi, who said the problem was due to ‘physical recklessness’, stated that Nigeria needed to move away from being a ‘consumption to production nation’.

Another critical policy he identified to address exchange rate challenges was to stop ‘dollarisation’ of local oil transactions.

He insisted that there was need for an overhaul of the security architecture in the country, proposing multi-level policing from the federal to the community security system.

The LP presidential standard bearer, who stressed that tackling insecurity challenges was significant to economic growth, affirmed that once insecurity was adequately addressed, farmers would be able to go to farms, productions would increase and high rate of inflation would gradually reduce.

When asked how he was going to sustain institutional growth, Obi replied that he would ensure “certainty of policy”, as well as subjecting himself to public scrutiny and accountability.

On borrowing, Obi specified that there was nothing wrong in borrowing, but where the problem lied was when government borrowed to consume, stating that when borrowing is done to invest, the return would be prosperous and impact positively on both micro and macro economies.

He urged Nigerians not to vote him or any other candidate in the coming general elections based on tribe, religion or acclaimed right. Instead, he advised the electorate to vote based on trusted character, accountability and prosperous future for the country.

“Don’t vote for me because it’s my turn, Nigeria is nobody’s turn. This time, it’s the turn of Nigerians to take back their country. So, it’s not the turn of anybody. Don’t vote for anybody because of connections. Don’t believe what they say about their structure, it is the structure of criminality, corruption and looting. That is what we want to dismantle.

“What Nigeria needs is a leadership that is committed. They said 2023 election is the last bus stop, my appeal is that 2023 election should not be based on ethnicity. There is no place where poor people in Nigeria live a better life. They don’t buy bread cheaper in Kano, Maiduguri, Oyo or Onitsha.

“Poor Nigerians are suffering in every part of the country. There is nowhere in Nigeria where security is perfect, people today can’t go to Kaduna, by air, road or train out of fear. Katsina State is not safer than Oyo. Insecurity is everywhere in Nigeria. There is no tribe that has uninterrupted electricity or where unemployment is lower. The farmers in the North are not in the farm because of insecurity.

“Elections in 2023 will be based on the character we can trust. Show us your last office, where you have been to, let’s go and verify how you managed public resources,” he said.

He thanked the LCCI for giving him opportunity to speak to Nigerians, calling on Nigerians to hold him accountable on all his electoral promises, if elected into office.

Oil theft, debt burden, subsidy regime, foreign exchange, and other economic issues were core areas the forum expected each of the candidates to address ahead of the 2023 elections.

Last week Tuesday, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, was the first to present his economic blueprint for post-2023. The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)’s Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is expected next to have his turn at the Private Sector Economic Forum.

The LCCI, which has organised the event for the past 16 years, said it was interested in the economic agenda of each of the candidates aspiring to take over the leadership mantle at the end of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

This, according to the LCCI President, Asiwaju Michael Olawale-Cole, will enhance the choices people make at the polls.

“Beyond economic management, we understand that countries rise or fall through leadership and governance. Nigerians have another opportunity to decide who leads them in the next four years from 2023-2027,” LCCI boss stated.

Olawale-Cole stressed that the Nigerian economy has been inundated with a myriad of problems, among which are oil theft, an unsustainable subsidy regime, insecurity and a foreign exchange crisis.
Despite these challenges, he affirmed that the prospects and future remain bright for the Nigerian economy.

“Nigeria is the largest economy on the African continent with an output in the region of almost half a trillion dollars in nominal terms. The country is also hugely endowed with human and natural resources.”

While announcing that the Chamber plans to host Tinubu next month, Olawale-Cole promised that the Chamber would consider hosting other notable presidential candidates, so that it would not be accused of being biased.

MEANWHILE, a civil society organisation, Conference of Civil Society for Peace and Good Governance Initiative (CCSFPGG), has taken a swipe at the statement credited to former APC national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, to the effect that Obi failed to tackle insecurity in Anambra, while he held sway as governor of the state.

The former Edo governor, had while speaking during the youth conference of APC in Abuja, said: “For those of you who are social media warriors, there are issues here that you need to speak to. Go to Google and look at the first six months of Governor Obiano’s administration in Anambra.

“What you will find on YouTube is Governor Obiano demolishing houses of kidnappers and those who were then referred to as Bakassi Boys.
Who was the governor when Bakassi Boys developed and who solved the problem? So, if a man could not solve a security challenge in his own state, which requires courage, how can he convince you that he will solve security challenges all over Nigeria?”

But reacting to Oshiomhole’s statement, National Coordinator of CCSFPGG, Dr Oshioke Mathew Afegbu, described the APC chieftain as a failed politician, who was trying to get into prominence using Obi’s popularity, having not only been disgraced out of office as his party’s chairman, but also rejected by the people of his home state, Edo, when he tried to impose a governor on them in the last governorship election.

“Nigerians have not forgotten that few weeks ago, Oshiomhole, who was an ardent attacker of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s reelection bid, glaringly admitted in the face of teeming crowd in Abuja, that the APC government he helped to impose on Nigerians has failed in all ramifications and that the former President left a very good legacy for Nigeria than any other President in history. He said he had attacked him only because of political differences.

“For the records, Anambra provided security agencies with range of support, including provision of more than 500 security vehicles. Abubakar Mohammed, the former IG of Police, praised Anambra for not experiencing a bank heist in the final three years of Obi’s government due to the state’s amazing security development.

“Obi changed the local vigilante system such that neighbourhood watch organisations now collaborate with the police and are closely supervised.”
DELTA State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, has cleared the air on the legal action within PDP in the state that has been misconstrued to be a destructive crisis among rank and file of the party.

Okowa said the former Deputy National Chairman of the party, Chief Bode George, entirely missed it to have said Delta as a key PDP stronghold was in crisis.

He expressed delight that Olorogun David Edevbie, who contested and came a distant second in the credible primary election of the party, sought redress over his grievance in a civilised manner in court.

He said the litigation against the winner, Sheriff Oborevwori, Speaker of the state’s House of Assembly, was on alleged certificate forgery and not against his defeat or the peaceful conduct of the primary election.

His Chief Press Secretary, Olise Ifeanjika, who reacted to questions on the outburst of George, yesterday, said the chieftain goofed.

He said: “What is going on in Delta PDP is the beauty of democracy in action. There is no crisis in Delta PDP. When the legal fireworks is over at the Supreme Court, all the party faithful will close ranks and work to deliver all their candidates to retain the state for PDP, which the state is known for since the advent of democracy in 1999.”

MEANWHILE, as the crisis ravaging PDP over insistence of Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, on the resignation of the national chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu, chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT), Aldophus Wabara, yesterday, arrived Yola and went into a marathon meeting with Adamawa State governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, to find a lasting solution to the crisis.

The PDP state chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Shehu, who confirmed the arrival of Wabara to The Guardian, said he was on his way to join the governor at the meeting.

Sources at the meeting disclosed that the BoT chairman has selected close allies of Wike to visit them and seek for their intervention.

Wabara will meet with the Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, today, in Makurdi, in continuation of his search for solution. (The Guardian)

Photo: Chairman, Printing, Publishing and Allied Group, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Princess Layo Okeowo-Bakare (left); Principal Consultant of DRNL Consult Ltd UK, Mrs. Ronke Onadeko; President, LCCI, Dr. Michael Olawale-Cole, CON; 2023 presidential candidate of Labour Party, Peter Obi; Vice President, LCCI, Prince Abimbola Olashore and moderator of the event, Chairman, LCCI Economics and Statistics Committee, Dr. Ayo Teriba during the private sector forum on 2023 Presidential Election with Labour Party’s candidate at Commerce House, Victoria Island, Lagos…yesterday.

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Politics

APC chairmen reject Wike’s coalition, demand defection

Published

4 hours ago

September 28, 2026

Advocate News Nigeria

FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike

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The reactions followed a renewed confrontation between Wike and APC governors over the political structure the FCT minister is assembling ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Wike is a Peoples Democratic Party member serving in a federal government led by an APC president.

The former Rivers governor was appointed FCT minister by Tinubu after the 2023 election, despite having remained a prominent PDP politician and having contested the presidency under the opposition party.

While some APC state chapters welcomed Wike’s support for Tinubu and said they would receive him if he decided to defect to the ruling party, others opposed the coalition outright, arguing that a politician could not simultaneously support the APC at the presidential level and candidates of other parties in governorship and legislative elections.

The development has exposed a growing disagreement within the President’s political camp over how support for his 2027 re-election should be organised and, more importantly, who should control the political structures through which such support is mobilised.

The latest dispute was triggered by Zamfara State Governor and APC governor, Dauda Lawal, who told Wike to choose between joining the APC and remaining with the Rainbow Coalition.

Speaking in an interview with Channels Television’s Inside Sources on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, Lawal said the position of the APC governors was unchanged.

“Our message is very, very clear: Be on one side. You can’t be on two sides. If you’re in APC, please come out and support APC. Not you’re supporting APC here, and you’re supporting other political parties somewhere else. It doesn’t make sense. It’s not done anywhere,” Lawal said.

The Zamfara governor added, “And that is why we maintain our stand, and it is very clear—the message is very clear. He can speak, he can say whatever he wants to say, but our position has been very, very clear: APC all the way from head to toe.”

Asked whether the governors were asking Wike to join the APC, Lawal responded, “Exactly. What’s the essence?”

He further disclosed that he intended to raise Wike’s political position with President Tinubu.

“It’s something that I will take up with the President when he comes back. So, let there be a very, very clear line where this guy belongs to. It’s either he’s in APC or he’s out. It’s simple. And I go with my brothers, the governors,” Lawal stated.

The demand has since received varying degrees of support from APC chapters across the country.

Coalition faces resistance

In Imo State, the APC Publicity Secretary, Jones Onwuasoanya, said Wike was attempting to maintain an ambiguous political position and urged him to formally identify with the ruling party.

“Decency demands that an individual who claims so much allegiance to the philosophies and programmes of a political party should fully align with that political party, rather than playing hide and seek with his loyalty to the party,” Onwuasoanya said.

He added, “If Wike is sincere about his support for President Tinubu, then he should join the APC and begin to campaign for our party across all positions rather than being selective.”

The Imo APC spokesman dismissed the Rainbow Coalition as a political structure with little relevance in the state.

“As long as the All Progressives Congress in Imo State is concerned, there is nothing like a Rainbow Coalition or whatever it might be called. The APC is the only viable political platform in Imo State and Imolites are fully aligned with us,” he said.

He maintained that the party was confident of victory in 2027, saying, “There is no political arrangement or structure outside the APC that poses any threat to our Party’s electoral chances.”

In Gombe, the APC Publicity Secretary, Murtala Usman, similarly urged Wike to complete his political transition to the ruling party.

“My opinion is the same as the people who are advising him to join APC because APC doesn’t need any rainbow coalition for now,” Usman said.

He warned that such an arrangement could create confusion within the ruling party.

“That rainbow coalition will cause some confusion in the APC because those who are stakeholders in the APC, particularly in some states, will find it very difficult to handle,” he stated.

Usman argued that recent defections of PDP governors to the APC had already created difficulties for some long-standing party members.

“So Wike should switch to APC completely. Since he is doing the work of APC, let him be a full member, not a partial member,” he said.

Ondo rejects selective support

The Ondo State APC also rejected the idea of a coalition that would support Tinubu for president while backing candidates from other parties in other elections.

The state party secretary, Alex Kalejaiye, said the arrangement was unacceptable to the chapter.

“We are disturbed that the coalition would only support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in the general elections, but field candidates for other positions,” he said.

According to him, APC’s objective was to deliver all its candidates and not just the presidential candidate.

“To us in Ondo State, support for the candidates of the ruling party must be total; our party is committed to mobilising votes for the President, three senatorial, nine representatives, and 26 House of Assembly candidates. That is not negotiable,” Kalejaiye stressed.

He warned that supporting different parties on the same ballot could create confusion for voters and potentially complicate the electoral process.

The chapter therefore appealed to Wike to collapse the coalition into the APC.

“The APC could therefore appeal to Barr. Nyesom Wike, the leader of the coalition, to collapse his structures into the ruling party, so we could present a common front during the elections,” he said.

Jigawa welcomes Wike

In Jigawa State, the party said it welcomed Wike’s support for Tinubu and would gladly receive him if he decided to join the APC.

The state APC Publicity Secretary, Bashir Kundu, said, “We in the Jigawa APC welcome the contribution Wike is making in promoting the President and APC candidate for the 2027 election, Bola Tinubu. We will certainly welcome Nyesom Wike if he decides to join our party, the APC.”

Kundu also argued that the APC itself emerged from a coalition of political parties and could therefore accommodate politicians from different political backgrounds.

He dismissed concerns that Wike could harm the APC’s electoral interests, saying the party had its own structures and programme.

“I am not aware of such plans, but I know for sure that Wike will not cause that kind of harm to the APC because the party has its own programme,” he said.

In Benue State, reactions were more complicated, reflecting existing divisions within the state APC.

James Orgunga, the organising secretary of one of the APC factions, praised Wike for supporting Tinubu but said he would prefer the FCT minister to formally join the party.

“Wike has joined APC already, because he is working for the president; we appreciate that, but as a core party man, anyone working for the success of a candidate in my party should be praised,” Orgunga said.

“But I do not subscribe to a rainbow coalition and am of the opinion that Wike join our party.”

However, Daniel Ihomun, the publicity secretary of another faction loyal to Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume, offered a different view.

“He should not join APC; he should remain where he is because he has helped to destroy PDP for us,” Ihomun said.

He claimed that a Rainbow Coalition structure existed in Benue under what he described as the “Benue Strategic Alliance for Tinubu”, involving members of the APC, PDP and Labour Party.

Dual-loyalty concerns

In Rivers State, where Wike served as governor and remains a major political actor, the controversy has an additional dimension.

The factional APC led by Emeka Beke backed the Progressive Governors Forum’s opposition to the coalition.

The faction’s publicity secretary, Darlington Nwauju, said Wike could not simultaneously maintain loyalty to the PDP and work with the APC.

“The truth remains that if you look at the background or the context of Nigerian elections and if you cast your mind to the fact that the level of political education in Nigeria is still way behind,” Nwauju said.

He argued that asking voters to support candidates from different political parties at different levels could create confusion.

“You cannot confuse the electorate by thinking that you can order them into voting for candidate A in party A and candidate B in party B on the same election day,” he stated.

Nwauju said the APC governors were therefore justified in asking Wike to either join the party or stay away from its internal affairs.

“My belief is that the Progressive Governors Forum is in the right with the advisory that they have issued. Join the APC or leave her alone. You cannot stand [and] use your association with the APC to rebuild the PDP,” he said.

He further alleged that Wike’s activities could contribute to a revival of the PDP, describing that as a concern for the ruling party.

The Anambra State APC chairman, Senator Emmanuel Anosike, described Wike’s coalition as an affront to the party and its governors.

“It amounts to an insult to the integrity and sensibility of the APC and its governors for Wike to make such comments,” Anosike said.

He argued that Wike, as a PDP member, had no basis for intervening in the internal affairs of the APC.

“The minister is not a member of the party, hence should stop meddling in the internal affairs of the party,” he stated, noting that the APC governors had sufficient political structures to deliver Tinubu in 2027.

“Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State is the leader of the APC Governors Forum, and he is in full control of the party structures across the country through the members of the Forum and has shown capacity having delivered Mr President at his first term election and still has all that it takes to do it again in 2027,” he said.

He described Wike’s intervention as an attempt to remain politically relevant, adding that the Anambra APC did not recognise the Rainbow Coalition as an alternative political structure.

On its part, Kwara State APC chairman, Sunday Fagbemi, questioned the practicality of the Rainbow Coalition’s proposed electoral strategy.

Fagbemi described it as “a grand deception and a confusing strategy”, particularly because presidential, senatorial and House of Representatives elections are held simultaneously.

“What is the level of enlightenment of Nigerian voters? How do you explain to someone that, out of the five elections, at least three—the presidential, senatorial and House of Representatives elections—will be conducted on the same day?” he asked.

He continued, “Will you stand by the ballot box and tell a voter to vote for one party for President and another party for Senate? Even if that were possible, do you want to populate the National Assembly with opposition parties to the President? What kind of support are you giving the President that way?”

Fagbemi said APC members were expected to vote for the party’s candidates across the ballot.

“I believe the party has been very clear about this: if you are an APC member, the election is five out of five, not even three out of five. As APC members, everyone should vote for the party and its candidates,” he stated. (PUNCH)

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Politics

No politician can kill any opposition party in Nigeria – PDP replies Umahi

Published

2 days ago

September 26, 2026

Advocate News Nigeria

David `Umahi

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The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Ebonyi State has said that no politician can kill any opposition party in Nigeria.

The party also condemned a statement attributed to the Minister of Works and former governor of the state, David Umahi, in which he reportedly said he had “killed PDP” and would “unalive” the party if it attempted to regain political relevance ahead of the 2027 general elections.

It described the alleged remark as disturbing and inappropriate in a democratic environment, insisting that no individual politician, regardless of political position or influence, has the power to determine the existence or political participation of a registered political party.

The PDP Publicity Secretary in Ebonyi State, Prince Darlington Peter Onwe, stated this in a statement issued on Saturday in Abakaliki, against the backdrop of the emerging political activities ahead of the 2027 governorship election in the state.

Onwe said the alleged comment was particularly concerning because it was reportedly made in response to a question on whether Umahi supported the PDP governorship candidate, Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii.

According to him, a political disagreement over a candidate or party should ordinarily be addressed through political arguments, policy differences and competing programmes rather than language capable of being interpreted as threats.

He said, “The PDP is a political organisation, not an individual. It cannot be killed or unalive by any politician.

“Our party belongs to millions of Nigerians who believe in democracy, constitutional governance and the right of citizens to organise and contest elections.

“If Senator Umahi disagrees with the PDP or does not support our candidate, he is entitled to his political position. But disagreement must not be expressed in language that can reasonably be interpreted as a threat against the existence of a political party or the people associated with it.”

The opposition party consequently called on the minister to clarify what he meant by the phrase, “we will unalive it”, arguing that Nigerians deserved political competition based on ideas, records and programmes.

The PDP further said political parties were institutions that could outlive individual politicians, adding that its political history demonstrated that politicians could change platforms without determining the survival of the organisations they left.

The party also urged political leaders in Ebonyi to exercise restraint in their public statements, particularly as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 elections.

It recalled that previous election cycles in the state had been characterised by allegations of political intimidation and confrontation, stressing that such experiences made responsible political communication essential.

The statement said, “Democracy requires that political parties and candidates be allowed to campaign, organise and seek the votes of citizens without fear.”

The PDP maintained that Odii and other members of the party had the constitutional right to participate in the 2027 electoral process, insisting that no politician could determine whether citizens exercised their political rights.

The party said it would continue to pursue its political objectives through peaceful and constitutional means, while calling on its members and supporters to remain calm and law-abiding.

It also urged security agencies and relevant institutions to pay attention to public statements that could heighten political tension ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“Elections are decided by the people, not by declarations that one politician has killed or will kill a political party. The ballot belongs to the people of Ebonyi State,” the party said.

The PDP challenged Umahi and other political actors in the state to engage the electorate on policies, development programmes and their respective records in governance rather than rhetoric that, in the party’s view, could deepen political apprehension.

The party’s position comes amid heightened political mobilisation in Ebonyi ahead of the 2027 governorship election, with the PDP expected to intensify its grassroots organisation and campaign activities.

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Politics

I left Anambra debt-free, Obi insists as NDC, OK Movement tackle Soludo

Published

3 days ago

September 25, 2026

Advocate News Nigeria

Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Peter Obi

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The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, has insisted that he did not borrow money or issue bonds on behalf of Anambra State during his eight years as governor.

Obi, who spoke on Arise TV’s Prime Time programme on Thursday, said his administration left office in March 2014 without owing salaries, gratuities, pensions or contractors whose jobs had been executed, certified and verified.

The former governor was responding to questions over recent allegations by the Anambra State Government that his administration left outstanding debt and other liabilities for successive governments to service.

“Let me categorically state again: I, Mr Peter Obi, did not approach any financial institution to borrow money or issue bonds on behalf of Anambra State in the eight years I was in government.

“On the day I left office, the government of Anambra State, which I headed, was not owing any salary, gratuity, or pension to those scheduled to be paid by the state government.

We were not owing any contractor or supplier who executed his job, certified and verified—not one,” he said.

Obi said the loans being attributed to his administration were not funds he personally obtained from financial institutions, arguing that some of the funding arrangements were supported by the Federal Government.

“I didn’t go to obtain it. But what I’m saying, assuming that your father left you with an inheritance of N100m, and suddenly somebody comes up and says your father is owing N10m. Are you going to go to the market and say your father left you with debts? Unless there’s another thing, you’ll be unfair,” he said.

He explained that the Federal Government had selected Anambra, Ekiti and Bauchi states to receive concessionary multilateral support because of their performance in education.

“There’s a difference between I went to the bank to borrow money, then the Federal Government sees, ‘Oh, this state is doing well in education.’ They selected Anambra, Ekiti, and Bauchi and said, ‘These three states are doing well. Why don’t we give them a concessionary multilateral support to help them?’”

Obi said the funding, which involved the World Bank, was not obtained by Anambra from a commercial bank.

“Yes, and the World Bank,” Obi said, when the interviewer asked whether the funding was a decision by the Federal Government to provide support.

“To support us. Not that we go to the World Bank and say give me this, not that we go to any commercial bank. And to even make it more… when it came, if you look at State Education Programme Investment Project (SEPIP), you will see that the drawdown was well after I left office.”

He added that even if the entire amount in question had been drawn down, there would have been sufficient funds left to cover it.

“I’ve assumed the whole and said even if that was the case, there was enough left to pay it, and the state will still be at the best financial standing,” he said.

Obi further argued that undrawn funds under a loan facility should not be regarded as debt incurred by the government.

“Even if I had gone to a bank and borrowed money—even if I had gone to a bank and borrowed money, but I did not spend the money, you cannot call it debt I left.

“Assuming I have gone to the bank and said, ‘Bank A, borrow me loan, Give me a loan of N10 billion. And they gave me a loan of 10 billion Naira, and I only drew down 500 million; you cannot now say I’m owing 10 billion because you know the amount. That’s why I said it is not proper public sector accounting.”

To support his position, Obi cited former Debt Management Office Director-General, Abraham Nwankwo, who he said served for 10 years.

He said Nwankwo had invited him to chair his send-off ceremony and publicly stated that Obi was the only governor in Nigeria who never visited his office to seek approval to borrow money.

“To even confirm this: the then DG… Abraham Nwankwo, who was DG of Debt Management Office, served for 10 years. The day he left office, at his send-off party, he invited me as the chairman, and he announced to everybody at that party that the reason why he made me chairman is that I was the only governor in Nigeria who never came to his office for approval to borrow money,” he said.

The dispute followed recent criticism from the Anambra State Government, which has alleged that Obi left outstanding external loans and other liabilities.

The state government recently challenged Obi to quit the 2027 presidential race, accusing him of leaving outstanding external loans and salary, pension and gratuity arrears, and of breaking earlier pledges on debt and timely payment of workers.

Through its New Media Office and Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Dr Law Mefor, the state alleged that eight external borrowings contracted during Obi’s tenure left an outstanding balance of about N127.4 billion (from $123.77 million) as of June 30, 2026, which continues to be serviced from federal allocations.

It also referenced salary arrears, including at the Water Corporation, and disputed Obi’s claim of leaving more than N2.13 billion in an ecological fund account.

Obi had previously vowed to stop campaigning if it was proven he left the state in debt or with unpaid certified contractor obligations.

NDC, OK Movement tackle Soludo

The NDC and the Peter Obi-backed OK Movement have criticised Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, over his continued attacks on Obi as the political battle ahead of the 2027 presidential election intensifies.

The NDC National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, described Soludo’s attacks on Obi as a distraction, alleging that the Anambra governor was acting at the behest of unnamed political interests.

Director disclosed this in an exclusive phone interview with The PUNCH.

He said, “This is more like a distraction that Obi is having. Soludo is the man on the spot right now, apparently doing someone’s bidding to destroy his own brother. He seems to be taking this too far, and it is very petty of him.”

The Director-General of the OK Movement, John Ughulu, in an exclusive interview with our correspondent, also urged Soludo to focus on governing Anambra State rather than making Obi the centre of his political attacks.

Ughulu said the movement respected Soludo’s decision to support President Bola Tinubu and the APC in 2027, but argued that political differences should not turn into a continuous campaign against Obi.

He said, “We believe Soludo should focus his energy and attention on the task of governing Anambra State and delivering on the mandate entrusted to him by the people.

“Obi left office as governor 12 years ago. The people of Anambra are mature and capable of assessing the records of previous administrations and comparing them with the realities they experience today. They do not need political actors to tell them how to evaluate the past.

“We equally respect Prof Soludo’s political choice to support President Bola Tinubu and the APC in the 2027 presidential election. Every Nigerian has the constitutional right to support the candidate or political platform of his or her choice.

“However, political disagreement should not become a continuous campaign against another individual.”

According to him, Obi’s growing popularity across the South-East and other parts of the country was a political reality that should be countered with stronger policies and programmes rather than personal attacks.

The OK Movement DG added that since Soludo was not a presidential candidate in 2027, there was little value in turning the election into a permanent contest with Obi.

He said, “The growing popularity of Peter Obi across the South East and other parts of Nigeria is a political reality that cannot be wished away. The appropriate response to popularity in a democracy is to present a stronger vision, policies and programmes, not personal attacks.

“The OK Movement has deliberately instructed its members and supporters not to be distracted by unnecessary or divisive exchanges. Our focus remains on issues that matter to Nigerians: good governance, economic development, security, institutional accountability, equity, justice and competent leadership.

“Soludo is not a candidate in the 2027 presidential election. If his political objective is to support the APC presidential campaign, he is entitled to do so. But there is little value in allowing the politics of 2027 to become a permanent contest with Peter Obi.

“We therefore encourage him to concentrate on the development of Anambra and allow the people to make their own independent assessment of every political leader and administration.

“The OK Movement will continue to promote issue-based politics, peaceful democratic engagement and responsible political discourse. We will not be distracted. Nigeria will be OK.”