The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) has called on the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, to honour his pledge and withdraw from the 2027 presidential race, following recent financial disclosures from the Anambra State Government regarding his tenure as governor.
In a statement on Monday by the council’s spokesman, Dele Alake, the APC PCC stated that official figures released by the state government have dismantled Obi’s long-standing claims of fiscal prudence and a debt-free administration.
According to the APC campaign, records from the Anambra State Government reveal that Obi spent approximately $4.05 billion (N5.4 trillion) during his eight-year tenure and contracted $123.77 million in external loans across eight different credit facilities.
‘The facade of falsehood built around Peter Obi… has now been torn to shreds, with Obi’s persona deconstructed after disclosures by the Anambra State Government, which responded to Obi’s challenge to verify his record,’ Alake stated.
The council noted that as of Obi’s departure from office on March 17, 2014, the external borrowings-tied to projects in erosion control, healthcare, malaria eradication, and education-remained active, requiring servicing by subsequent administrations, including that of Governor Chukwuma Soludo.
‘Borrowing is not injudicious if used for development,’ Alake noted. ‘But for a man who prides himself on being austere and has frequently claimed he left the state with a clean bill of health, the revelations confirmed what has long been held: Obi is an irredeemable liar, a mediocre governor, unfit for leadership anywhere.’
The campaign council further alleged that despite the expenditure and loan facilities, Obi’s administration failed to meet basic obligations, including civil service wage payments.
Citing an internal memorandum dated April 25, 2006, from Obi’s former Chief of Staff, Chuks Ileogbunam, the APC PCC highlighted appeals made to the former governor regarding unpaid staff at the state’s Water Corporation.
Quoting the 2006 memorandum directly, Alake cited Ileogbunam’s plea to the then-governor: ‘Since it is your excellency’s unchanging desire to achieve a better future for our children and children’s children, please, Sir, bear in mind that officials of the Water Corporation also have children who are looking to your compassionate leadership… I am 200 per cent sure that you will hearken to the cries of the children whose parents work for the Water Corporation and end their ordeal.’
The APC council asserted that Obi had previously committed to stepping down during his governorship if salary arrears occurred, a promise they claim was repeatedly breached.
‘Just as Obi promised to quit the presidential race if it was proven that he left a debt burden for Anambra State, the letter revealed that Obi had similarly promised Anambra people during his campaign that he would resign as governor ‘if there is any case where workers are not paid as and when due,” the statement read, adding that successor administrations were left to clear accumulated liabilities.
Advising the former governor to ‘purge himself of his lies and seek the forgiveness of the Anambra people,’ the APC PCC concluded that Obi’s moral standing in the upcoming election cycle has been compromised.
‘Indeed, if Peter Obi has any honour, he must resign from the 2027 presidential race forthwith, in keeping with his promise to end his run if it is proven that his administration left behind liabilities in Anambra,’ Alake concluded.