FRESH DISPUTE EMERGES OVER FUNDS, DEBT LEFT BY OBI’S ANAMBRA ADMINISTRATION

The Anambra State Government has challenged former Governor Peter Obi’s claim that he left more than ₦2.13bn in an ecological fund when he handed over power in 2014. The state government said the account identified by Obi as the repository of the funds was not an ecological fund account and disputed the claim that the money was still available when his administration ended.

The Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Law Mefor, said the government obtained a certified statement from First Bank relating to the account number provided by Obi. According to Mefor, the account was an Internally Generated Revenue Consolidated Revenue Account, rather than an account specifically created for ecological funds. He said the records did not support the claim that the account contained the ₦2.13bn described by the former governor as ecological funds.

Obi had maintained that the Federal Government released the money shortly before he left office and that it was meant to address the Oko/Umuchiana erosion crisis. He said he refused to spend the money on other projects because it was tied to a specific purpose and should be available to his successor, Willie Obiano, after the handover in March 2014. The former governor has continued to defend his administration’s handling of the state's finances.

The state government also challenged Obi’s account of the debts inherited by subsequent administrations. Mefor said eight external loans remained after Obi left office, with their combined balance reaching about ₦127.4bn as of June 30, 2026, based on the prevailing official exchange rate. The loans, according to the commissioner, were connected to projects covering areas such as healthcare, education, agriculture, community development, malaria control, erosion management and other development programmes.

The commissioner further disputed claims that Obi left Anambra without outstanding salary, gratuity and pension obligations, saying the Soludo administration had cleared about ₦22bn in inherited gratuity arrears. He also questioned Obi’s claim that his administration left more than ₦75bn in savings, asking for documentary evidence to support the figure. The exchange has further intensified the disagreement over the financial position of Anambra State when Obi completed his tenure in 2014.