The Anambra State Government has disputed claims that the administration of former Governor Peter Obi left the state without outstanding financial liabilities.

The government said Obi’s administration left behind outstanding loans as well as arrears of salaries, pensions and gratuities that subsequent administrations had to address.

In a statement, the Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Dr Law Mefor, said the administration of Governor Chukwuma Soludo had cleared about ₦22 billion in inherited gratuity arrears owed to retired state and local government employees and teachers.

Mefor said the government was not interested in determining which administration paid particular arrears but maintained that some legacy liabilities dating back to previous administrations remained outstanding.

He specifically cited salary arrears owed to workers of the defunct Water Corporation, which he said persisted throughout Obi’s tenure.

The commissioner also referred to salary, pension and gratuity arrears owed to primary school teachers under the local government system, some of which dated back to the administration of the late Governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju.

According to Mefor, the present administration was recently informed that Obi’s government had verified and certified 16 months of salary arrears and agreed to pay them in instalments.

“We have been informed that the government of HE Peter Obi verified and certified the debt of 16 months of salary arrears and agreed to pay in tranches. It only paid five months and no more until today.

“This administration has set up a committee headed by the Head of Service to finalise a new verification for us to pay,” he said.

Government Cites ₦127.4bn Loan Balance

Mefor further cited the latest report of the Debt Management Office (DMO), saying the total balance of loans attributed to the Obi administration stood at ₦127.4 billion as of June 30, 2026, based on the official exchange rate.

He said the loans were obtained for areas including malaria control, erosion management, education and healthcare.

“Evidently, HE Peter Obi borrowed for malaria, erosion control, education, healthcare, etc. So far, this government pays hundreds of millions of Naira every month to service these debts and we are not complaining,” Mefor said.

He argued that the existence of debt should not automatically be viewed negatively, noting that governments and businesses often rely on borrowing to finance development.

“Hardly any government in the world has zero debt stock,” he said, adding that borrowing for bankable projects and human-capital development could be justified.

Mefor said the state government would not have objected to Obi borrowing money if the funds were used to improve public schools and hospitals, water infrastructure, other public facilities, or address poverty and insecurity.

The latest statement adds another layer to the ongoing dispute between Obi and the Anambra State Government over the financial liabilities inherited by successive administrations.

The controversy comes after Obi challenged anyone who could establish that his account of Anambra’s finances was inaccurate, saying he would stop campaigning if evidence proved otherwise.