Kenneth Okonkwo, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has said he was misled when he previously defended former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi against claims that his administration left behind debts and other financial obligations.
Okonkwo, who served as Obi’s spokesperson during the 2023 presidential campaign, made the disclosure while speaking on TVC’s Sunday Politics programme.
He said his earlier position was based on information available to him at the time, but that fresh information surrounding the financial records of Obi’s administration had changed his position.
“I cannot say the same thing that I said about Peter Obi in 2023,” Okonkwo said, explaining that he had previously told Nigerians that Obi left Anambra without outstanding debts, unpaid salaries, pensions or gratuities.
According to him, he had defended Obi based on the information he received but could no longer repeat the same claims in light of the latest disclosures by the Anambra State Government.
The controversy centres on claims by the state government that eight external financing facilities linked to projects undertaken during Obi’s tenure had a combined contracted value of $123.77 million, with $92.35 million reportedly outstanding as of June 30, 2026.
The figures have, however, been disputed by Obi.
The former governor said he neither approached any financial institution to borrow money nor issued a bond on behalf of Anambra during his tenure.
Obi argued that the $123.77 million figure conflated the total value of multiyear development programmes with the amount actually drawn and the balance outstanding when he left office in March 2014.
He said the facilities were primarily World Bank and International Fund for Agricultural Development programmes negotiated by the Federal Government and accessed by participating states through subsidiary arrangements.
Obi also cited Debt Management Office figures which, according to him, showed that Anambra’s external debt stood at about $18 million when he assumed office in 2006 and approximately $30 million when he handed over in March 2014.
He consequently challenged the state government to explain how $123.77 million in contracted facilities could be described as debt left by his administration.
Okonkwo said the development had demonstrated the need to distinguish between political advocacy and the scrutiny required when new facts emerge.
He also referred to the difference between his role in the 2023 election and his current political position ahead of the 2027 presidential election, saying his approach would now involve questioning claims rather than simply defending political allies.
The former Labour Party spokesman has since aligned with the ADC and is currently associated with the presidential campaign of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.
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