The Presidency has renewed its criticism of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, over the ongoing dispute surrounding the financial liabilities allegedly left by his administration in Anambra State.
Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, made the remarks in a post on his verified X handle on Thursday, accusing Obi of presenting what he described as a misleading account of his record as governor.
The latest exchange followed claims by the Anambra State Government that Obi’s administration left behind outstanding external loans, salary and pension arrears and other financial obligations when he left office in March 2014.
The state government has said Obi’s administration contracted eight external borrowings and that the outstanding balance on the loans stood at about N127.4 billion as of June 30, 2026.
It also disputed Obi’s claim concerning more than N2.13 billion allegedly left in an ecological fund account.
Obi had rejected the allegations, describing claims that he left behind debts, unpaid salaries, gratuities and pensions as false.
He also challenged anyone who could establish otherwise to do so, saying he would stop campaigning if his account was disproved.
The Anambra Government subsequently disputed his account, saying a certified printout of the First Bank account identified by Obi did not support his claim that it was an ecological fund account containing more than N2.13 billion.
The government said the account was an Internally Generated Revenue Consolidated Revenue Account and that its records did not show the amount cited by Obi.
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Reacting to the controversy, Onanuga said the figures presented by the Anambra Government raised questions about Obi’s record during his eight years as governor.
“The evidence is clear. If a small, homogenous state like Anambra could not be transformed despite $4.05 billion in spending and massive borrowing, how can the same manager promise to fix a complex federation of 36 states and the FCT?” he wrote.
Onanuga further criticised Obi’s record in office, saying, “Mr Obi’s eight years were an unmitigated failure, now masked by revisionism. He should desist from deceiving Nigerians with sanctimonious sermons.”
He also raised questions over reports of a proposed four-year single-term arrangement involving Obi and his running mate, describing it as inconsistent with the constitutional provision allowing a president to serve two four-year terms.
“The desperation is even clearer in his reported four-year single-term pact with his running mate, in direct contradiction of the two-term, eight-year provision of the 1999 Constitution,” Onanuga added.
The Anambra Government has maintained that its claims are based on records relating to loans and outstanding obligations inherited by subsequent administrations.
It said the eight external loans were contracted for projects including malaria control, erosion management, education, healthcare and community development, and that the current administration continues to service the obligations.
Obi’s camp has rejected the allegations and said former officials who served under him as governor would respond to the claims made by the Anambra Government.
The dispute remains centred on competing accounts of Anambra’s finances during and after Obi’s tenure, with the former governor maintaining that he left the state without the liabilities alleged by the current administration, while the state government has presented figures it says contradict that position.