The Anambra State Government has challenged former governor Peter Obi to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race, alleging that he failed to keep promises concerning the state’s debt profile and payment of workers’ salaries.
The state government made the demand in a statement posted on its official X account on Tuesday, asking, “When will Peter Obi quit presidential campaign?”
It recalled that Obi had pledged to abandon his presidential ambition if it was established that he left Anambra State in debt.
The government also cited a separate pledge allegedly made by Obi during his tenure as governor that he would resign if workers were not paid as and when due.
According to the state government, both commitments were breached.
It said Obi left office in 2014 with outstanding arrears, while also releasing a 2006 letter purportedly signed by his then Chief of Staff, Chuks Iloegbunam, appealing for the payment of salary arrears owed workers of the Anambra State Water Corporation.
The letter, dated April 25, 2006, stated that the corporation’s workers had last received their salaries in February, while its monthly wage bill stood at about N15m.
It further referenced Obi’s campaign manifesto, which reportedly contained a pledge that he would resign if workers were not paid as and when due.
The state government said the document supported its allegation that salary arrears existed during Obi’s administration.
READ ALSO: Anambra Debt: APC Council Challenges Obi To Honour Exit Pledge
However, the report noted that the authenticity of the letter could not immediately be independently confirmed, while efforts were ongoing to obtain Iloegbunam’s response.
The latest exchange is part of a renewed dispute between the administration of Governor Chukwuma Soludo and Obi over the financial status of Anambra at the end of Obi’s tenure.
On September 17, the state government alleged that Obi left outstanding external loans as well as salary, pension and gratuity arrears. It put the outstanding balance on eight external loans at N127.4bn as of June 30, 2026.
Obi has rejected the allegations, insisting that he left office without unpaid salaries, pensions, gratuities or obligations to contractors whose projects had been processed and certified.
He also said his administration cleared more than N35bn in historical gratuities and arrears and pledged to stop campaigning for the presidency if the state government produced evidence that he left debts or owed contractors.
The dispute has intensified as the 2027 presidential contest approaches, with both sides maintaining opposing positions on the financial records of the state under Obi’s administration.