The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has called on Peter Obi, former Anambra State governor and presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race over alleged debts incurred during his administration.
Dele Alake, spokesperson for the APC campaign council, made the call in a statement on Monday following revelations by the Anambra State Government concerning loans obtained during Obi’s eight-year tenure.
The state government said Obi’s administration contracted $123.77 million in external loans, with eight borrowing facilities still outstanding when he left office on March 17, 2014.
According to the government, the loans were obtained for projects covering malaria control, education, healthcare, erosion management, community development and agricultural value-chain development.
It said the outstanding balance stood at $92.35 million, equivalent to N127.37 billion, as of June 30, 2026, adding that successive administrations had continued to service the loans.
Obi has rejected the claims, insisting that he left office without outstanding debts, unpaid salaries, pensions, gratuities or payments owed to contractors for completed and certified projects.
However, Alake said the disclosures contradicted Obi’s claim that he left Anambra without a debt burden.
He also alleged that workers in some government agencies were owed salaries during Obi’s tenure, citing a 2006 memo purportedly written by Obi’s then Chief of Staff, Chuks Ileogbunam, requesting N15 million to pay workers of the Anambra State Water Corporation.
Alake said Obi had previously promised to resign as governor if workers were not paid as and when due.
The APC campaign council spokesperson argued that Obi should honour a similar pledge he reportedly made concerning the 2027 presidential election if it is established that his administration left financial liabilities for Anambra State.
The controversy has triggered an ongoing dispute between Obi and the Anambra State Government over the financial records of his administration.
Obi has challenged the state government to provide evidence to substantiate its claim that his administration left outstanding debts when he handed over power in 2014.
