Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga on Wednesday challenged former Anambra governor Peter Obi to honour his pledge to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race if claims about debts left by his administration are proven.
Onanuga reacted on X to the latest statement from the Anambra State government, which disputed Obi’s account of the state’s finances at the end of his tenure in 2014.
Obi had rejected allegations that his government left outstanding liabilities, including unpaid salaries, pensions and gratuities. He maintained that he cleared historical obligations and left more than ₦75 billion in savings. He also challenged critics, saying: “If anybody can establish anything to the contrary, I will stop campaigning.”
The state government has since released figures showing that external loans contracted under Obi’s administration totalled $123.77 million, with $92.35 million still outstanding as of June 30, 2026. It also rejected his claim that more than ₦2.13 billion was left intact in a First Bank ecological fund account.
Responding to the development, Onanuga wrote: “Peter Obi claimed he left Anambra with a clean slate of debt and even threatened to quit the presidential race if his claims were proven otherwise. Now, the Anambra government has confronted him with facts and figures showing he owed Water Corporation workers, teachers, and pension and gratuities, and had also borrowed for frivolous things. The ball is back in his court. Will he follow through on his threat by quitting the race?”
The exchange has drawn mixed reactions online.
