Anambra Replies Obi: You Owed Salaries, Pensions, And N127bn In Loans

The Anambra State government has released a detailed list of loans and liabilities it says Peter Obi left behind when he handed over power in March 2014, and the numbers are not small. According to the statement issued yesterday by Commissioner for Information Law Mefor, eight external loans with an outstanding balance of $92.35 million, equivalent to N127.37 billion as of June 30, 2026, are still being serviced by the current administration. The original value of those loans was about $123.77 million, tied to malaria control, Fadama development, erosion control, healthcare and education.

Mefor did not stop at loans. He claimed the Soludo administration inherited and cleared about N22 billion in gratuity arrears owed to retired state and local government employees and teachers, and that some primary school teachers still had salary arrears dating back to the Chinwoke Mbadinuju era. He said Obi's government verified 16 months of salary arrears and agreed to pay in tranches, but paid only five months. "So, Your Excellency, you owed salaries, pensions and gratuities. Many of these people are still alive and can testify," Mefor said.

Obi had earlier insisted he left office without owing salaries, pensions, gratuities or contractors, and even threw a challenge: "If anybody can establish anything to the contrary, I will stop campaigning." The state also disputes his claim of leaving N2.13 billion in an ecological fund account with First Bank. So the question is simple: if Obi is so confident, will he accept the challenge and let the records be opened publicly, or is this just another political fight before 2027?