The Presidency has challenged former Anambra State Governor and presidential hopeful, Peter Obi, to honour his pledge to stop campaigning if it is established that his administration left the state with outstanding financial liabilities.

The challenge was issued by the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, following a fresh dispute between Obi and the Anambra State Government over the state’s finances during his tenure.

Onanuga, in a post on X on Wednesday, recalled that Obi had claimed he left Anambra without debt and had said he would stop campaigning if anyone proved otherwise.

According to him, the Anambra State Government has now presented figures alleging that Obi’s administration left unpaid obligations to Water Corporation workers, teachers, pensioners and contractors.

“The ball is back in his court. Will he follow through on his threat by quitting the race?” Onanuga asked.

The controversy followed Obi’s response to allegations that his administration left behind inherited debts, including a ₦2 billion ecological fund liability, contractor debts and unpaid salaries, gratuities and pensions.

Obi rejected the allegations, maintaining that his administration cleared more than ₦35 billion in historical gratuities and arrears and left office without outstanding salary, pension or gratuity obligations.

He also disputed the claim concerning the ecological fund, saying more than ₦2.13 billion remained untouched in a First Bank account intended for the Oko/Umuchiana erosion crisis.

However, Anambra State Commissioner for Information and Value Reformation, Law Mefor, rejected Obi’s explanation.

Mefor said the account cited by Obi was an Internally Generated Revenue Consolidated Revenue Account rather than an ecological fund account. He further claimed that a certified account statement showed that the account had never recorded ₦2.13 billion as either an inflow or balance since it was opened in 2011.

Obi had earlier challenged anyone capable of disproving his account of Anambra’s finances, saying: “If anybody can establish anything to the contrary, I will stop campaigning.”

The dispute has therefore shifted from the original allegations to whether the competing claims about Anambra’s financial position can be independently established from official records.