AWKA: Former Anambra State Governor and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has released additional financial documents as the controversy over the state’s debt and financial position at the end of his administration continues.
The latest documents, shared publicly on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, contain bank records and other financial details which Obi’s camp says support his position that he left substantial funds in the state’s accounts when he handed over power to his successor, Willie Obiano, in March 2014.
The development comes amid an escalating dispute between Obi and the administration of Governor Chukwuma Soludo over loans, liabilities and other financial obligations allegedly inherited from previous administrations.
The documents were circulated by the Kwankwasiyya Movement, an organisation associated with Obi’s running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, on X.
The group drew attention to the bank balances contained in the records and urged members of the public to independently examine and verify the documents.
The latest release follows an earlier publication of Obi’s 2014 handover documents, which contained a summary of Anambra State’s financial position shortly before he left office.
According to the handover report dated March 17, 2014, Obi listed local investments of ₦27 billion, foreign-currency investments of $156 million, valued at about ₦26.5 billion at the time, certified balances of state ministries, departments and agencies amounting to approximately ₦28.166 billion, as well as a ₦10 billion Federal Government-approved refund.
The listed assets and balances amounted to about ₦91.666 billion.
The document also made provision for estimated liabilities of approximately ₦5 billion, covering items including salaries, pensions, gratuities and certified payments for completed projects.
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After those provisions, the document put the net financial position at about ₦86.666 billion.
Obi and his representatives have relied on the handover documents to dispute claims that his administration left Anambra with unpaid financial obligations.
Former Secretary to the Anambra State Government under Obi, Oseloka Obaze, has also defended the records, saying he personally witnessed the handover process in March 2014.
Obaze said Obi signed the handover letter on March 17, 2014, while Obiano received and acknowledged the documents in his presence. He said the materials included certified bank statements and other records detailing the state’s assets and liabilities.
Obi has challenged the Anambra State Government to produce evidence supporting its allegations that his administration left outstanding obligations.
The Anambra State Government, however, has maintained that some financial obligations connected to previous administrations remain outstanding.
Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Law Mefor, said the state had records showing that loans associated with Obi’s administration and obligations inherited from earlier governments remained part of the state’s financial commitments.
The government has cited eight external loans and said their outstanding balance was about $92.35 million, which it valued at approximately ₦127.37 billion as of June 30, 2026.
The loans cited by the state government include financing connected to malaria control, the Third National Fadama Development Project, Health System Development Project II, education investment, community and social development, erosion and watershed management, and value-chain development programmes.
The state government has also disputed aspects of Obi’s claims concerning an ecological fund allegedly left by his administration.
Mefor said the government obtained a certified statement for the First Bank account identified in relation to the fund and maintained that the account was an internally generated revenue consolidated account rather than an ecological fund account.
The disagreement has increasingly taken on political significance as Obi prepares for the 2027 presidential election under the NDC.
Obi has maintained that the financial records from his handover provide evidence of the position of the state when he left office, while the Soludo administration has continued to cite loan and other liability records as evidence that financial obligations from previous administrations remained.
The competing accounts raise questions about the distinction between cash and investments available at the point of handover and long-term loan obligations or liabilities that may have remained attached to the state.
The release of the latest documents is therefore unlikely to end the dispute unless the relevant financial records, loan agreements, repayment schedules, bank statements and government accounts are independently reconciled.
For now, both sides continue to present different interpretations of Anambra’s financial position at the end of Obi’s tenure, with the newly released documents adding another layer of evidence to the ongoing debate.
