Politics

2023 presidency: What Obi and I will do to save Nigeria — Datti Baba Ahmed, Labour Party VP candidate

Published

4 years ago

December 11, 2022

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Baba Ahmed was born on July 7, 1969. He is running mate to the Labour Party’s candidate, Peter Obi, in the 2023 presidential election.

Baba Ahmed was outstanding as a member of the House of Representatives representing Zaria in 2003 for his outspoken criticism of the third term agenda of President Olusegun Obasanjo then, as well as corruption in the country.

After his legislative tour of duty, he returned to his Baze business group and founded Baze University, Abuja, in 2007.

Prior to working with Baze Research and Data Services Limited, and Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company, he served for one year as a volunteer at the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

He also had a stint with First Bank Nigeria Plc, from July 1997 to December 1998.

He was the managing director of Baze Research and Data Services, from July 1999 to January 2003.

Datti Baba-Ahmed was appointed the chairman of the board of trustees of the National Youth Service Corps Hope Alive Foundation in 2015. The Hope Alive Foundation works to ensure the financial well-being of NYSC members who have been disabled while serving in the military.

The urbane, suave and humble vice presidential candidate of the Labour Party spoke with Sunday Sun at his residence in Lagos.

With your impressive credentials, why did you agree to be Peter Obi’s vice presidential candidate in the 2023 election?

First of all, his lofty ideals, his credibility and his conviction to turn things around. He is senior to me in experience and, for God’s sake, he’s a Nigerian. His history, the way he rose through the ranks after university. In fact, while he was in the university, he was running two supermarkets. Working in the bank, he had money, he had businesses he controlled, and then he branched into bank ownership, directorship, owned a bank, he rose again to other financial institutions. Very comfortable as he was, he developed interest in the problems of his state and committed himself to solving those problems. He had the money to join the ruling party, but he refused. He had the contacts to join the ruling party, but he refused. He entered the opposition party, he defeated them, was in court for three years , got sworn in, he was the only one in the middle of wolves, so to say (forgive my language). They got him impeached. He went to court and came back. His tenure expired, he went to court again. So, he is a very consistent believer of what is right. Such a person, if you get him committed to fixing Nigeria, he will really achieve a lot. That is why I’m working with him. Again, he answered some questions and the fact that so many lies were told against him that were proven to be lies , I realized that there’s something special about this man. He answered a lot of questions that some can never answer, by telling me that Nigeria’s greatest physical asset is the vast rich fertile land in the North uncultivated yet.

Some people are of the opinion that he didn’t do much as governor in Anambra State, he’s stingy to a fault and might not be a good leader; what’s your take on that?

In the matter of scaling, prudence can easily be interpreted by others to being stingy. You do not owe anybody. People like Obi and myself believe in everyone being independent. That is our philosophy. In an egalitarian society, you depend less on handouts. In fact, it is derogatory to give cash out in an egalitarian society because something must be wrong for another person to be giving you. Gifts are different. So, you have to see it from our thinking, our background and our aspirations. Really, I wish everybody could just feed themselves and be content. This is not a perfect world, it is not a perfect country and whatever you give somebody makes him more dependent, you are not helping the person. He’s not stingy.

So, that is your perception?

No, no, you see, he is somebody who has a foundation, sends people to school without announcing it. He donates to causes, his church, hospitals and he helps people’s businesses. This is what we call help. Those who still dole out cash are the stingy ones, they don’t really help people. If I build your business, I have helped your career for a lifetime. If I help you with lunch; I help you to be lazy. That is it.

What do you say about a lot of people’s contention that Labour Party does not have structure?

We have structure. People are our structure. Those who are saying any other party has structure don’t understand what structure is. Those parties have money. People know they have the money and that money must be collected. Once APC and PDP do not have the money promised to be given, those people will not be there. The other smaller parties do not have the money to be given out, that’s why they don’t have anybody with them. Now, we are not doling out cash, yet we have people, we have candidates, over and above the aspirants. Even though we came into the party late, we had to struggle to get tickets in Labour Party . We have structure. APC has people assembled to collect the money they are spending, that is not structure. They don’t believe in APC. It is the same thing with PDP. That money just has to be collected. That is what they are in the place for, those are not structures.

Why is it taking Labour Party so long to come out with a manifesto?

Our manifesto is out. It took that long because there was undue interest by other parties in frustrating it and in changing the contents. They tried to interfere with our manifesto. We held on to it and we had to go through every full stop and comma, dot the I’s and crossing every T’s.

With so many problems in the country, what will Nigerians gain from your party if you win the election?

Immediately, we are going to stop the killings and start the healing. We will stop the stealing and start the keeping. We will stop the slide of the naira and start the gliding, and Nigerians will know that Nigeria belongs to them. Freedom, liberty, travel anywhere, anytime, live anywhere you want in Nigeria. We will minimize crime immediately, wipe out banditry and terror after minimizing crime. We will meet our OPEC quota, stop the stealing of the oil, earn our revenue from oil and decide what to do about the refineries. They will start producing immediately. All our sources of internal revenue will be maximized. We will cut the waste, fight corruption through all the channels, blocking them (we know what they are), unless if it is outright criminality, then we will serve justice. We will fight crime. Industries will start to prosper, especially if the naira is stable. We will extract commitments from ASUU, no strike for four years; there will be a written agreement. We will develop huge farmlands and infrastructure. Four banks will come up: Bank of Agriculture would be revamped, reorganized and recapitalized. Urban Development Bank, Bank of Industry and Bank of Infrastructure will come up too. We will stop the foreign exchange scam, redraw subsidy. We will decide what to do with infrastructure like power plants, dams, courts, highways, toll gates. New businesses will continue to come up, improvement of states, development of markets. Within the sub-region and the African region, there will be identification of markets, entrenchment of our interest in the World Trade Organization, gender sensitivity, girl child education, reduction of infant mortality, the list goes on and on.

There’s so much propaganda; instead of campaigning, it is abuses, why is this so?

No, we are being abused. We never abuse anybody. Not a single one. Flashpoint is that, my humble self and Peter Obi never speak about anybody’s health condition despite all that is going on, and even the constitutional provisions. We have never abused anybody. However, there was a press conference I held on Thursday, in which I recounted the reckless utterances of many. I also told them that silence on our own part did not mean we are weak. I deconstructed them for the whole world to see, which I think was painful for them to swallow, and I concluded with the word that, do it again, say one, we will say four and we will have better things to say.

Many prospective voters don’t have PVCs and the election is close by; what is your stand on the situation?

I encourage them to hurriedly go and get their PVCs. Anybody who doesn’t have a PVC to vote is a problem to Nigeria, as well as a problem to himself. They have no right to talk, whatever happens.

Concerning ASUU and frequent strikes, since you have a university, if you become vice president, what would you do to move university education forward?

I will continue doing what I have been doing in my entire working career, especially in the university. I will make sure Nigeria’s public universities have the best of infrastructure. The remuneration of their staff will be deliverable, sustainable and the curriculum of international standard. The laws are respected. No corruption in academics at all. We will continue to raise the standard of education and skills. No skill without education and no education without discipline.

Recently, you opened a world-class hospital. As an economist, what prompted you to have a hospital?

It is the biggest private hospital in Africa and the best equipped so far. Baze University Teaching Hospital is the best so far in Africa. The university gave birth to it. We started teaching medicine in 2017. We got approval from the NUC to start medical science. In January 2020, we got approval from NUC for students to gain admission into medical science. We were given two years to have a teaching hospital. So, we got to work. Because we had the benefit of coming in late, we set out to be the best. We built it within two years. When you are borrowing banks’ money, you don’t have a lot of luxury to waste time.

You look suave, why politics for you, because politics is known as a dirty game in this sphere?

I have been advised not to be saying it, but by nature and by design I’m not a politician: I’m in politics out of necessity and that is why I’m doing it so well. It’s not a career to me, that’s why I maintain my principles and my scruples. Whatever you have, if the country is going down the drain, you are simply wasting your time, everything you have will be wasted. You can never ignore politics and concentrate on your business because when the country is dead, your business is dead. All of us don’t have a choice, including you, the press. Every Nigerian does not have a choice and there’s no such saying as I’m a politician anywhere; so long as you are a human being, you are a politician, unless you choose to ignore your destiny. Everyone is a politician. A mad man on the street is a politician who chooses not to be in politics. Those who do not have PVC or party card are all politicians who choose to ignore their rights. We don’t have a choice, you sit down and the criminals will lord over you.

Senator Baba-Ahmed, how popular are you in the North?

Don’t you think I will break modesty if I tell you that? (Pause) I’m very, very popular because of my activities in anti-corruption. I’m one of the most famous politicians in the North. I made only one statement against the arrest of a student, the very next day the case was withdrawn and he was released. I have impacted on so many lives in northern Nigeria, educationally and economically? We have less than 200 (private) companies in the North employing up to 200 people. My company employs over 1,000 people. The university, the hospital and the other university in Kano, over 1,000 people. I have two universities, by God’s grace, including Baba Ahmed University. My name is known all over the North and I’m famous with students and the young ones. I appear five times a day on CNN. My family has not stolen money. My relatives have not stolen money, we have not defrauded Nigeria. This is quite immodest, but it is politics and I have to blow my trumpet.

What is your advice to the electorate?

Do not practice the politics of religion and ethnicity. Promote fairness in Nigerian politics. It is only fair for power to shift this time. Nigeria belongs to all of us. God makes no mistake. God put us, in his infinite mercy, in this country called Nigeria for us to understand each other and live peacefully. Don’t throw this opportunity away. You can see the tickets, Labour, APC and PDP. You can see the names. Nigeria has never had it so good in terms of candidate’s profile. The difference is clear. Do justice to yourselves, fellow Nigerians, don’t throw this opportunity away. You may not have it again.

What was your experience as a Senator?

I’m the second to the youngest senator ever in Nigeria, and there were parents of my friends in the same Senate with me. Mostly, I was shy. There was a great deal of conspiracy against me and I think I was only able to, as they say, you live to fight another day. I was up against a very powerful clique. I unseated the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, who had been a two-term governor and a Senator for four years. I was deeply rooted in the affairs there and there was this agitation to get me out. And I’m very lucky to be here today.

Was it that you were stubborn in the Senate or what?

Just leave it that way (laughs). I’m very lucky to be here today.

In all these, what lessons have you learnt about life?

Life is real. Mostly, it is what you make of it. Just keep trying, promoting good, and suppressing the bad. Be kind to others, do what you believe is good. (Sunday Sun)

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Politics

APC chairmen reject Wike’s coalition, demand defection

Published

23 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

3 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

4 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.”