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Reafirms Unsettled Debt Claim against NDC Presidential Candidate
Safiu Kehinde
The Anambra State Government has reffirmed its stance on the unsettled debt claim against the 2027 Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) Presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
The state government urged the Anambra former governor to desist from what it considered lies about his financial records.
As contained in a statement issued on Saturday by the Anambra Commissioner for Information, Law Mefor, the state government accused Obi of lying at his recent interview on Arise TV.
Mefor accused Obi of trying to obfuscate and change the subject when asked about the alleged legacy debt accumulated from eight different loans from IDA-World Bank during his tenure as governor of the state.
The commissioner held that that Governor Chukwuma Soludo-led administration had since inception been paying for the debt without making any fuss until Obi threw what was described as self-imposed challenge demanding evidence of him owing during his time as governor.
“First, this government has been in office for four and a half years and has never complained about any inherited debt, whether borrowings or salary arrears, and has been paying billions of Naira to service them.
“That is normal. Even when H.E. Peter Obi continued to lie about them, we ignored him. Not until he threw his bombshell “challenge” to us and “anyone/everyone” who could show that he owed one person any salary or contractor or any debt whatsoever — and even staked his presidential bid on the bubble lie.
“His supporters applauded to high heavens. What an audacious affront!
“Now, a government that has been quietly paying billions to liquidate the debts provides unassailable evidence in response to his challenge — and he and his supporters quickly move from being the unprovoked aggressors to playing the victims.
“You can’t attack first & then end up as the victim at the same time. For us, it’s only a matter of record. But since Obi initiated this self-imposed challenge daring anyone to prove that he left debts it is only a matter of integrity & character that he owns up to the outcome.” Mefor said.
He further accused Obi of never complimenting any of his successors in alleged bid to be portrayed as the only good governor the state ever had.
“There is this dangerous trend in our public discourse whereby there are two sets of standards: one for everyone else and another for Peter Obi. This is one former governor of Anambra who is not on record to have ever complimented any of his predecessors or successors in office.
“He spent eight years in office de-marketing Dr. Mbadinuju and Dr. Ngige and has spent the last 13 years with his paid media team, Val Obienyem and dozens of others, daily de-marketing his successors. He is the only next big thing after God.
“And indeed, to his credit, the media packaging has worked.
“Only Peter Obi has the right to lie about and against any and everyone, and if you dare to expose his lies, you must be the “sinner”, the “saboteur”, etc.” Mefor said.
The commissioner recalled how the Soludo administration had also debunked Obi’s purported during his 2023 Presidential campaign where he claimed that he invested about $14 million in the state’s brewery with interest worth “over $100 million”.
“When our governor exposed the lie in an interview in November 2022 that the investment was worth “next to nothing”, hell was let loose. Even till date, that same investment of $14 million is still worth less than $3 million.” He said.
Mefor also slammed those criticsing Soludo for supporting President Bola Tinubu’s re-election campaign as he recalled how Obi had during his time declared support and worked for other political parties in opposition to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
