Politics

Gov Mbah: Enugu’s Governance Anchored on Inclusion, Transparency, Strong Institutions

Published

1 year ago

July 5, 2025

Advocate News Nigeria

Enugu gov't approves establishment of army barracks in Isi-Uzo LGA

Enugu State Governor, Dr Peter Mbah

Spread the love

While we were going round the whole project sites to see what you are doing, a colleague asked a critical question: Where are you getting all the money you are using to do all this work within two years?

Actually, we don’t have to rely on third party funding to do what we’re doing. Since we came in, we’ve increased our internally generated revenue. When we came in, the highest we did as a state was about N25 billion in terms of our IGR, yearly. But this year’s IGR projection is about N600 billion. We’re likely going to achieve, if not exceed that figure. Sometimes, there is a misconception that we increase the tax rates and there are huge tax activities going on in Enugu. But that’s a misconception. There’s no such thing.

What we actually did was to expand the tax net. So, we brought in those who were not captured or who were not in the tax net into the tax net and we then also ensure that our processes are automated. So, where we, in the past, dealt with the collection through manual or through cash, we had to stop all that to ensure that payments are now made through an electronic or digital platform and they go straight into the government account. Largely, we are just plugging the leakages and expanding the tax net. We’ve been able to grow our tax rate to over 200 folds.

Therefore, you can actually do the calculus if you say that from N25 billion as of May 2023 we’re expecting N571 billion this year. It is about 2,000 per cent increase from where we were. So, that’s what it is.
Now, if we have a gap in our funding, we also could get a bridger and that bridger is what is referred to as an overdraft or a short term because we know we’re going to generate the revenue to clear it. But we haven’t done any long-term loan.

A major concern has to do with sustainability and institutionalising some of these things. How are you integrating them into your e-governance system?

It’s very key. We think that we need to build a very strong institution that would be stronger than the person at the driver’s seat. So, in a lot of what we’re doing, we’re focusing on how we sustain them. Whether it’s the Smart Green Schools initiative for example, how do we ensure that successive governments continue to fund it and that the infrastructure and the programmes we’ve initiated continue to live and deliver the desired impact? Beyond the brick and mortar, there are also quite a whole lot of soft issues like training and making sure you have a pipeline through which the programmes and the activities you do go through.

So, we’re very conscious of that. We’re strengthening the institutions by building the capacity of the civil servants, who obviously would continue to remain here; and we have a programme that ensures that all our civil servants have access to digital training, making sure that our processes are instituted. In fact, the e-governance thing that I mentioned to you is something that we have. We’ve over 111 MDAs in Enugu and they are all uploaded on our e-governance platform.

Dr. Peter Mbah (infront) and a cross section of Editors during the interactive section.

Even our financial manual is also something perhaps I need to speak to. We have a system here; a major part of our governance philosophy is transparency and accountability. Therefore, we have a system that whatever accrues to the government as revenue is seen and known by all. And it is not something anybody can alter. So, there is actually a digital tree to all that.When we came in, a lot of those things were done manually. But we had to digitise them. Even our financial report is something that you don’t have to wait till the end of the year to have. You get a monthly report of what accrued to the government as revenues, and what those funds have been spent on. So, you can actually do a trail and within a portal you can view all that. That’s part of what we believe that if we can build the capacity and strengthen these institutions, we can then sustain this.

On land banking, documents say you have created 300,000 hectares in land banks to be leased to large scale farmers and you are establishing 200 hectares of farm estates in all the 260 wards of the state. How will these 300,000 hectares of land bank be secured in such a way that the commercial farmers will have confidence that if any other governor comes in the future, it won’t be revoked. Is Enugu State totally giving the land away or it is, maybe, 51 per cent/49 per cent ownership?

The land bank is a programme designed for commercial farming. Beyond the farm estates we’re doing for small holder farmers across the 260 wards in the state, we also want to scale up production. So, we’re inviting those interested in investing in agriculture to come to Enugu; and we’ve quite a number of them.

In terms of the structure of the investment, it differs. For example, the company that we are working with on what used to be the United Palm Products Limited, which is now Enugu United Palm Products Limited, a company called Pragmatic Palms, we had a structure where the state took 40 per cent share and the investor has 60 per cent share in that business. It is a huge palm plantation of close to 10,000 hectares.

Enugu International Conference Centre

We also have a structure where the investor wants to go it all alone and then we just provide the land, give him the lease cost and then find a way we can help the investor de-risk the investment. Whether it’s the finance or the commercial aspect of the investment that may create problems, sometimes, we step in. Sometimes, we try to have our skin in the game so that it is then bankable. So, we have different strategies. I think at the last count, over 67,000 of that 300,000 have already been taken by investors; and we have quite a number of interests queuing up.

One is happy in how you put a lot of interest in education because a lot of governors run away from education, health and other critical human projects because the big contracts don’t come from there…

Again, the Smart Green School initiative is not something that is knee-jerk. If you looked at the manifesto during our campaign, we actually dealt with this. We refer to it as a cut-off point. We knew the challenges with our educational system and we felt it was something we needed to do differently. So, the cut-off point was designed to cut-off from that old system and to introduce a new learning system. And in order to do that, we also felt that the environment must be right, the infrastructure must also be right.

The reason was because we felt that the true wealth of any state or nation is not measured by the value of what they have beneath the soil. We may have had or we still do have huge quantities of coal and huge quantities of other solid minerals. But that will not be the right measure of our wealth. We believe strongly that the true measure of our wealth will be based on the quality of our human resources. We also recognise that the rest of the world will not wait for our children. We understand that the evolving skills in the 21st century require that we get our children ready and prepared for them to have a fighting chance.

Patrol vehicles procured by Mbsh administration to boost security

Take for example, it is projected that five years from now, AI is going to contribute $20 trillion to the global economy. So, the question you ask yourself is: How are we preparing our children to acquire the skills to be relevant in this new world order? Therefore, we felt that the best thing to do is get them at that very young age.

The Smart Green Schools initiative is designed to make sure that we get the index child at age three. That’s why we have provision for early child learning. So, at age three ,we provide the nursery one, nursery two, nursery three and then they are able to, beyond just even teaching them at that age, deal with their health profile because of where these children are and the level of education of their parents. We know a number of them may not have adequate medical records. So, we have in each Smart Green School, a clinic with a Registered Nurse. So, the first thing we do is to, of course, make sure that the child’s health is okay, they are not stunting, they are not wasting and that in terms of their vaccination or prophylaxis, that they are up to date. And where there is a deficiency, we step in to ensure that we regularise that and get them to be up to date.

The idea is that these kids will be exposed to all the modern skills from a very young age, from elementary one to what we now refer to as a Lower Basic or Basic 1. You get them exposed to Robotics, to Artificial Intelligence, to Mechatronics, Virtual Reality, among others. So, if they are learning Biology, for example, they can actually visualise how the blood is going through the vein with the Virtual Reality. Most importantly is that we’re getting these kids to see their classroom beyond a place where they memorise or they repeat what they’ve been taught. We’re getting them to see their classroom as a creativity hub, a place where they have to solve compelling social problems. And of course, also find solutions to all the problems we have. They get into projects from that age. From elementary one, we teach them through practice and that’s the vision.

As somebody mentioned, some of these things we’re doing are not really so fashionable because the impact of some of these things may be felt long after we have left government. So, we’re looking at the future – 10, 20 years from now because this is essential. If we don’t get it right today, then we will not be able to have that reason for hope and for talking about the future.

Your vision for the state, how does it address the challenges of urban growths? Because once you start growing, you see people coming out from the communities into the cities. So, do you have provision for that? Especially, public utilities, transportation, while at the same time addressing infrastructural growths in the communities so that they are not left out.
Part of what we are experiencing in Enugu is actually the other way round where we have quite a lot of people from the urban migrating to the rural area and that is largely because the style of leadership we have here is all inclusive. We’re not leaving any parts of the state out. Our programmes, for example in education, is where the 260 electoral wards have a project of over a billion naira going on at the same time and that’s why somebody was telling me few days ago that Enugu had never experienced the amount of earth-moving equipment they’ve seen moved into in Enugu in the last two years. We don’t even have enough because people are coming here to work and we have to bring in the earth-moving equipment from other states to come here and work.

We‘ve also been told that in hiring your artisans, the labourers, Enugu is the most expensive state now. Essentially, you have activities going on across the states. You have in each ward major projects going on. Just as you are doing the Smart Green Schools, we’re also doing a Type 2 Primary Healthcare Centre in each of the 260 wards and we’re building the farm estates. So, they all require these earth-moving equipment. You have quite a lot of our young people, who are constructively and gainfully engaged. Instead of taking to criminality, you are then able to get them to generate revenues through constructive engagement.

Enugu Smart School

Again, if we have an influx of people into the city, we realised also when we came in that the last master plan of Enugu was designed over 60 years ago around the 50s. Therefore, when we came in, we did a new master plan that expanded the city. We’re currently doing a brand new city, which is going to take about 300,000 households. That’s the capacity we’re actually planning for the future. If we’re going to grow this economy to $30 billion, you must be able to then provide access and provide the infrastructure. So, we’re already thinking ahead and providing this New Enugu City. There is no other like it in the country currently, because it’s going to be fully serviced. Your water, electricity, your sewage, your telecom, the fibre optics, internet access, the gas pipe are all going to be provided. You just go to your plot, you plug and play. You don’t need to go in there with your generator. There will be no such thing.

Of course, the roads are all designed with the weight of a modern city. If you look at the width of the primary road, it’s about 50 metres. The width of the of the secondary road is 33 metres and the tertiary road has a width of about 24 metres. So, it’s carefully planned, designed to be a modern and smart city. There is going to be a light rail. It is going to be on the right of ways. So, if you look at the media, it is designed to be quite sizable. That’s because we hope to have a light rail on it.

Some of us were here last year and we saw the Command and Control Centre project at its infancy. Today, the facility has been massively upgraded; we are all overwhelmed with the progress at the centre. The question is this: What is your plan for the local governments and the remote parts of Enugu State as far as covering the state with this kind of technology that you have displayed at the Command and Control Centre is concerned?
Part of what we did with the security system is to ensure that we don’t use satellites so that it’s not sensitive to weather. Therefore, when it’s raining, we’re not worried whether the cameras would work. They all use the fiber optic cable to all our cameras so that when it’s raining, we’re not we’re still seeing exactly what we’re seeing.

Now, what we’ve only just commissioned is the first phase. So, we’re now on the second phase. The second phase is designed to capture all the gateways, not just the known gateways. We are capturing all that and extending to all our communities. We do currently have coverage beyond the city.

PROMISES DELIVERED

Politics

APC chairmen reject Wike’s coalition, demand defection

Published

14 hours ago

September 28, 2026

Advocate News Nigeria

FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike

Spread the love

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)

PROMISES DELIVERED

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

Spread the love

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.

PROMISES DELIVERED

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

Spread the love

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.”