The Anambra State Government on Tuesday challenged former governor Peter Obi to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race, accusing him of failing to honour key pledges on debt and the timely payment of workers’ salaries.
In a statement posted on its official X account, the state’s New Media Office asked: “When will Peter Obi quit presidential campaign?”
The government recalled that Obi had vowed to quit the presidential race if it was proven that he left Anambra in debt, and had earlier pledged as governor to resign if workers were not paid on time.
“He (Obi) vowed to quit the presidential race if proven he left Anambra in debt. As governor, he vowed to resign if workers weren’t paid on time. He broke both. He left office in 2014 with heavier arrears,” the statement said.
The government released a letter dated April 25, 2006, allegedly signed by Chuks Iloegbunam, then Chief of Staff to Obi. The letter, titled “Gubernatorial Prerogative,” appealed to Obi to settle salary arrears owed to workers of the Anambra State Water Corporation.
It noted that the corporation’s monthly salary bill stood at about N15 million and that its workers had last been paid in February. “Your Excellency, Water Corporation workers were last paid in February. Please rectify this anomaly so that you can forge ahead with the good work you are doing,” the letter stated.
The document specifically referenced Obi’s campaign manifesto, which pledged that the governor would resign “if there is any case where workers are not paid as and when due.”
In a follow-up post, the state government said: “Peter Obi’s former Chief of Staff, Iloegbunam berated him.”
The development forms part of an ongoing dispute between the administration of Governor Charles Soludo and Obi over the state’s financial position when the former governor left office in March 2014.
Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, has previously rejected the government’s claims, insisting he left office without unpaid salaries, pensions or gratuities and vowing to end his 2027 campaign if evidence of debt was produced.
