Soludo, APC target Obi over Anambra debt claims ahead of 2027 race

A financial disagreement has surfaced between Anambra State's former leader Peter Obi and its current chief executive Chukwuma Soludo, with backing from the ruling All Progressives Congress. The Finance Commissioner of Anambra, Izuchukwu Okafor, sparked controversy during a podcast by mentioning that loan repayments from earlier administrations continue under Soludo's watch.

His remarks fueled contrasting narratives regarding Obi's time leading the state and what fiscal position he bequeathed upon departure. Through spokesman Dele Alake, the APC's presidential campaign apparatus charged that Obi constructed a misleading portrait of his gubernatorial legacy.

According to party allegations, Obi marketed himself as exercising prudent fiscal management and departing without outstanding liabilities, yet documentation allegedly demonstrates considerable unpaid worker compensation and unresolved financial obligations remained at handover. The APC urged Obi to bow out of the 2027 electoral contest, characterizing this as honoring what it termed a prior undertaking to step aside should evidence surface proving his administration left debts.

Obi's communications team disputed the APC's assertions. His representatives defended the record from his tenure, rejecting claims regarding mismanagement of finances and challenging how Soludo's government characterizes inherited liabilities.

Whether such obligations originated during Obi's governorship or represented commitments transferred onward to his successor remains disputed terrain, with both parties avoiding comprehensive public presentation of audited financial data. With 2027 campaigns taking shape, analysts have flagged the timing of these accusations and the pattern of renewed examination of Obi's earlier administration.

Disagreement persists over how to interpret Anambra's financial situation from over twelve years past, as state authorities level allegations at the former regime while Obi's camp issues counteraccusations in response.