A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Kenneth Okonkwo, has said he was misled when he previously defended former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi against allegations that his administration left behind debts and other financial obligations.
Okonkwo, who served as Obi’s spokesman during the 2023 presidential campaign, said his position had changed following recent claims and documents released by the Anambra State Government concerning loans and other obligations linked to Obi’s tenure.
He made the remarks on Sunday during Television Continental’s Sunday Politics, where he explained that he was willing to revise his position when presented with new information.
According to Okonkwo, he had during the 2023 presidential campaign maintained that Obi left office without outstanding debts, unpaid salaries, pensions or gratuities. He said he could no longer make the same assertion after the latest claims by the Anambra State Government.
“The fact is the Anambra State Government said he borrowed eight loans,” Okonkwo said, adding that the state government had also raised claims concerning salary arrears owed to workers of the state-owned water corporation.
He therefore said he could not continue to repeat his earlier position without taking the new claims into account.
Dispute Over Anambra’s Debt
The controversy centres on the financial obligations associated with eight external financing facilities linked to projects undertaken during Obi’s administration between 2006 and 2014.
The Anambra State Government has said the facilities had a combined contracted value of $123.77 million, with $92.35 million outstanding as of June 30, 2026. The state government has also raised claims concerning salary arrears involving workers of the Anambra State Water Corporation.
Obi, however, has rejected the description of the entire $123.77 million as debt he left behind. He argued that the figure combines different categories of multilateral development financing and should not be treated as a single conventional loan incurred by his administration.
The former governor said the facilities were largely linked to development programmes involving institutions such as the World Bank and the International Fund for Agricultural Development, with financing accessed through arrangements involving the Federal Government and participating states.
Obi also cited Debt Management Office figures which he said showed that Anambra’s external debt stood at about $30 million when he left office in March 2014.
He further maintained that his administration did not leave behind unpaid salaries, pensions, gratuities or verified debts owed to contractors and suppliers whose completed work had been properly processed.
Okonkwo’s New Position
Okonkwo said his earlier defence of Obi was based on the information available to him at the time, stressing that he was prepared to acknowledge new information when it emerged.
He said his approach to Obi ahead of the 2027 presidential election would also be different from the role he played during the 2023 election.
According to him, he supported and defended Obi during the previous election, but would now subject his record to closer scrutiny as political alignments have changed.
“That’s why I said in 2023, I campaigned for them as the examination in chief. In 2027, it’s going to be a cross-examination,” he said.
Okonkwo is now associated with the ADC and serves as spokesman for the presidential campaign council of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
His latest comments therefore come against the backdrop of a changing political landscape ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with former allies now positioned on different political platforms.
Obi Maintains His Position
Despite the claims by the Anambra State Government and Okonkwo’s revised position, Obi has continued to dispute the allegations concerning his financial record as governor.
He has challenged the state government to distinguish between the total amount approved under the various development programmes, the amount actually accessed during his tenure and the outstanding balance at the time he handed over power in March 2014.
Obi has also said that he did not personally approach financial institutions to borrow money or issue a bond on behalf of Anambra State during his tenure.
The former governor has maintained that he left office without outstanding obligations to workers and contractors and has disputed the state’s account of the financial commitments inherited from his administration.
The competing positions have made the issue part of a wider political debate over the records of former governors and the management of public finances.
For now, the claims and counterclaims remain contested, with the Anambra State Government maintaining its position on the outstanding obligations and Obi disputing the way the figures have been presented.
As political activities ahead of 2027 intensify, the debate over Obi’s record in Anambra is likely to remain part of the scrutiny surrounding presidential contenders and their previous records in public office.
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