By NEWSCOUNT Desk
Former Anambra State Governor and 2027 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has challenged Governor Chukwuma Soludo to identify anyone he personally owes from his time as governor, saying he would withdraw from the 2027 presidential race if such a person is produced.
Obi was reacting to comments by the Anambra State Commissioner for Finance, Izuchukwu Okafor, that the state was still servicing loans obtained by previous administrations, including those of Obi and former Governor Willie Obiano.
Okafor, speaking on the Voice of Ndi Anambra Podcast, said deductions were being made from the state’s monthly Federation Account allocation to service inherited loans. He also said the Soludo administration had not borrowed from any commercial bank since taking office and had reduced the state’s debt by more than 83 per cent.
Responding to the claims, Obi said the issue should not be presented as though he left behind unpaid obligations to individuals and businesses.
He maintained that his administration left office without owing salaries, pensions, gratuities, suppliers or contractors and challenged the state government to produce the name of anyone he personally owed.
Obi, who governed Anambra from 2006 to 2013, said he was prepared to abandon his 2027 presidential ambition if Soludo could establish that he left office owing anyone.
The exchange has renewed the political argument over Anambra State’s inherited debts, with the two sides presenting different positions on the nature and impact of financial obligations accumulated under successive administrations.
