Peter Obi Denies Leaving Anambra with $123.7M Debt

Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has rejected allegations that he left Anambra State with a debt of $123.7 million upon leaving office in March 2014. In an interview on Arise News, he described the figure as “very, very wrong public accounting.” Obi clarified that the loans attributed to his administration were primarily concessionary development facilities obtained by the federal government and subsequently on-lent to states for specific projects.

He stated that Anambra's foreign debt was approximately $18 million when he took office and around $30 million when he left. He emphasized that the state was not liable for the full amount of facilities that had not been accessed.

Obi asserted that he left Anambra in a strong financial position, with over $150 million in investments and funds capable of generating significant income. He challenged the Anambra State Government to publish its records for verification.