Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Peter Obi has publicly denied any rift with Governor Chukwuma Soludo, insisting that their relationship remains cordial despite the escalating controversy over Anambra State's debt profile and the state government's claim that his administration left behind $123.77 million in external loan obligations.
The 2027 presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress made the clarification on Friday, September 25, 2026, in a statement posted on his X handle, ending days of silence that he attributed to mourning the loss of his elder brother and friend, Chief Okey Ezeibe.
"I wish to assure the public that I have no disagreement with my dear elder brother, Governor Soludo, or with any governor in Nigeria," Obi said. "I am not seeking the office of governor in any state, and I will not seek that position again, even if the Constitution is amended."
The controversy erupted after the Anambra State Government released loan records from the Debt Management Office showing that eight external borrowings associated with Obi's tenure had a combined contracted value of $123.77 million, with $92.35 million still outstanding as of June 30, 2026. The state's Commissioner for Finance, Izuchukwu Okafor, had claimed that the Soludo administration was still servicing debts incurred by Obi and other past governors.
Obi rejected the characterisation, but he was careful to frame his response as a defence of his record rather than an attack on Soludo. He drew a distinction between the total amount approved for a multiyear development programme, the amount Anambra actually drew during his tenure, and the funding balance outstanding when he handed over on March 17, 2014. He said the state government had combined these separate figures and described the resulting sum as "loans left by Peter Obi," which he called an incorrect application of public-sector accounting.
He explained that the eight facilities identified were primarily World Bank and International Fund for Agricultural Development development programmes negotiated by the Federal Government, with participating states receiving access through subsidiary arrangements. He said the concessionary facilities were payable over 25 to 35 years and were not conventional commercial loans that he personally secured. He recalled that at his farewell ceremony, the then Director-General of the Debt Management Office, Abraham Nwankwo, described him as the only state governor during his 10-year tenure who had not approached him for a loan facility.
"Let me categorically state again: I, Mr Peter Obi, did not approach any financial institution to borrow money or issue bonds on behalf of Anambra State in the eight years that I was in government," he said. He also disputed the debt figures, saying Anambra's foreign debt stood at about $18 million when he assumed office in March 2006 and had risen to approximately $30 million when he left in March 2014.
The Anambra State Government has reciprocated Obi's conciliatory tone. In an interview on 90MinutesAfrica on Thursday, the Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Law Mefor, said the Soludo administration was not interested in indicting Obi. "There is no rift between Governor Soludo and Peter Obi. They are both in politics, and they have their interests to defend," Mefor said. He acknowledged that Obi "did well as governor" but said the disagreement was about Obi's claim that he left no financial liabilities. Mefor also disputed Obi's claim that he left N2.13 billion in an ecological fund account, saying the bank statement showed no such balance at any time.
Obi's statement also carried a political appeal. He urged governors to allow democracy to thrive in their states, asking them to support whichever presidential candidate they choose while permitting other candidates to campaign freely. "Ultimately, voters should be allowed to determine whom they wish to serve," he said. He added that political actors should focus on Nigeria's existential challenges rather than "needless distractions."
The denial of a rift is significant because the Obi-Soludo relationship has been a subject of intense speculation since Soludo took office in 2022. Both men are from Anambra State, both are economists, and both have been touted as potential presidential candidates. Their relationship has been scrutinised for signs of rivalry, particularly after Soludo's comments on Obi's presidential ambition in 2022 and the recent exchange over the state's debt profile. Obi's decision to publicly deny any quarrel, and Soludo's commissioner's decision to do the same, suggests that both men are keen to avoid a full-blown political feud.
But the denial of a rift does not resolve the substantive disagreement over the debt figures. Obi says he left over $150 million in funds and did not borrow a kobo. The Anambra State Government says the debt is real and the records are there for all to see. The two positions cannot both be true. The 2027 election will likely be the ultimate arbiter of which version Nigerians believe.
For now, Obi has drawn his line in the sand: he has no quarrel with Soludo, but he will not accept the characterisation of his administration as one that left behind a debt burden. The Anambra State Government has said it is not interested in indicting him. Whether that remains the case as the controversy continues to unfold is another matter.
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