The Presidency has intensified its criticism of Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate Peter Obi, accusing him of avoiding questions over the debt profile he left behind as governor of Anambra State after challenging the state government to verify his claims.
The Presidency said the Anambra State Government had already responded to Obi’s challenge with what it described as verifiable evidence, stressing that the former governor had failed to address the issues raised.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said this in a post on X on Thursday, September 17, 2026.
Onanuga said Obi’s supporters had also been unable to rebut the government’s claims.
“Peter Obi challenged the Anambra State Government to verify his record on the debt he left behind. Now that the government has responded, the former presidential candidate and his supporters are struggling for an answer and cannot address the evidence directly,” Onanuga wrote.
The presidential spokesman said Obi’s performance as governor has been “often overstated,” adding that the former governor left Awka, the capital of Anambra State, largely underdeveloped despite serving for eight years.
He further stated that Obi’s administration struggled to tackle erosion, one of the state’s biggest environmental challenges, as well as insecurity, which he said discouraged many Anambra indigenes from returning home during the period.
Onanuga said: “I have said it before: Obi’s record is often overstated. As Governor of Anambra State, he inherited Awka as an underdeveloped capital and, according to a The Guardian assessment of his stewardship, left it largely unchanged.
Presidency challenges Obi to quit 2027 race over Anambra debt claims
“His administration also struggled to tackle erosion—one of Anambra’s most serious environmental problems—and the insecurity that reportedly discouraged many indigenes from returning to the state. The Obiano administration subsequently made progress in addressing the security challenge.”
Drawing a comparison with President Bola Tinubu’s record as governor of Lagos State, Onanuga said Tinubu pursued ambitious infrastructure projects that have continued to shape the state’s economy.
He cited the Eko Atlantic City reclamation project and the Lekki Free Trade Zone as landmark initiatives that laid the foundation for the development of a new city and a deep seaport.
“Obi’s record also raises questions about the scale of his transformational ambition. By contrast, Bola Tinubu’s administration in Lagos initiated and supported major projects—including the reclamation that enabled the development of Eko Atlantic and the vision for the Lekki Free Trade Zone—that helped lay the groundwork for a new city and a deep seaport,” he added.
