Former Anambra governor says his administration cleared over ₦35 billion in historical arrears and left no unpaid salaries, pensions, gratuities or certified contractor debts at the point of handover.

Former Anambra State Governor and presidential candidate Peter Obi has dismissed claims by the Anambra State Government that his administration left behind billions of naira in inherited debts, describing the allegations as false and challenging those making the claims to provide evidence.

Obi, in a statement titled “Debunking the Phantom Debts and Ecological Loan Fallacy,” said his administration inherited substantial financial obligations but systematically cleared historical arrears before handing over power.

According to him, more than ₦35 billion in gratuities and other arrears dating back several years were liquidated during his tenure.

He maintained that at the point he handed over the administration, Anambra State had no outstanding obligations in salaries, gratuities or pensions.

“We systematically liquidated historical gratuities and arrears dating back several years, amounting to over ₦35 billion,” Obi said.

“At the point of handover, the state owed nothing in salaries, gratuities, or pensions, nor did we owe anything to any contractor for projects duly executed and certified.”

Obi also addressed the controversy surrounding an alleged ₦2 billion ecological loan, insisting that the money was not a debt incurred by his administration.

He explained that the funds were released only about three months before the end of his tenure specifically to address the erosion crisis in Oko and Umuchiana.

According to the former governor, although there was pressure to utilise the funds before he left office, he deliberately chose not to spend the money because it had been earmarked for a specific project.

“Despite pressure to spend the money, I refused, insisting that it should be left for my successor because government is a continuum and the funds were tied to a specific project,” he said.

Obi further claimed that the money remained untouched in a First Bank account throughout the transition period.

He identified the account as No. 2018779464, saying it had a balance of more than ₦2.13 billion.

The former governor stressed that funds reserved for specific projects were separate from the more than ₦75 billion in savings he said his administration left for its successor.

He argued that such earmarked funds should therefore not be presented as part of any inherited debt or financial liability.

The former Anambra governor's comments come amid renewed scrutiny of the state's finances and competing claims over the financial position of the state government at different points in its political history.

Obi said he was prepared to stand by his record and challenged anyone disputing his account to produce evidence.

“If anybody can establish anything to the contrary, I will stop campaigning,” he declared.