The Presidency has trolled the 2027 Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, with the released debt profile of Anambra state under his administration.
NPO Reported that state government had yesterday released the data in response to Obi’s claim of settling all debts during his tenure.
Law Mefor, the state’s Commissioner for Information and Value Reformation, refuted Obi’s claims as he disclosed that the state is still paying over N127.4 billion loan accumulated from eight different external borrowings under the former Anambra governor’s eight years administration.
The state government would in an update released on Thursday gave a breakdown of the accumulated external borrowings for eight different projects ranging from Anambra Control Booster Project to the Nigerian Erosion and Watershed Management Project.
Commenting on the recently released data, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, questioned Obi over his silence on the debt record released by the state government.
Onanuga maintained that Obi’s record is overstated as he alleged that the former governor left the Anambra capital city, Awka, underdeveloped.
‘Peter Obi challenged the Anambra State Government to verify his record on the debt he left behind.
‘Now that the government has responded, the former presidential candidate and his supporters are struggling for an answer and cannot address the evidence directly.
‘I have said it before: Obi’s record is often overstated. As Governor of Anambra State, he inherited Awka as an underdeveloped capital and, according to a The Guardian assessment of his stewardship, left it largely unchanged.’ He wrote.
The Presidential aide further accused Obi of struggling to tackle the erosion challenge in the state.
This, according to him, raises question about the NDC candidate’s transformational ambition as compared to President Bola Tinubu’s accomplishments during his time as Lagos State Governor.
‘His administration also struggled to tackle erosion—one of Anambra’s most serious environmental problems—and the insecurity that reportedly discouraged many indigenes from returning to the state.
‘The Obiano administration subsequently made progress in addressing the security challenge. Obi’s record also raises questions about the scale of his transformational ambition.
‘By contrast, Bola Tinubu’s administration in Lagos initiated and supported major projects—including the reclamation that enabled the development of Eko Atlantic and the vision for the Lekki Free Trade Zone—that helped lay the groundwork for a new city and a deep seaport.’ He said.
