The Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and former Anambra State Governor, Mr Peter Obi, has stated that he will suspend his presidential campaign if Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State is able to establish that on leaving office in 2014, he “left behind inherited debts, including a ₦2 billion ecological loan, contractor liabilities, and unpaid salaries, gratuities, and pensions.”
Obi issued the challenge on Tuesday in a statement tittled ” Debunking the Phantom Debts and Ecological Loan Fallacy”, in which he reacted to recent claims made by the Anambra State Government that it was still servicing loans obtained by previous administrations, including that of Obi and his successor, Governor Willie Obiano.
The State Commissioner for Finance, Izuchukwu Okafor, had in an interview on the Voice of Ndi Anambra Podcast, posted on the Facebook page of Anambra State New Media on Monday, alleged that “Every month during our FAAC meetings, when you see the schedule of FAAC, you will notice there are substantial, significant deductions from our own FAAC because of loans previously borrowed by previous administrations.”
According to him, ” This loans were borrowed during the time of Peter Obi and Willie Obiano and other past governors”
But debunking the claim, Obi explained that at the point of handover, his administration owed nothing in salaries, gratuities, pensions, or contractor for projects duly executed and certified.
“We systematically liquidated historical gratuities and arrears dating back several years, amounting to over ₦35 billion.”
Obi revealed that though he was pressured to spend the money but insisted that it should be left for his successor because government is continuum.
“The ₦2 billion ecological fund in question was released barely three months before the end of my tenure for the Oko/Umuchiana erosion crisis”
He described the claims as false, vowing to suspend election campaign if the Anambra State government comes with proof to justify it claim, ” If anybody can establish anything to the contrary, I will stop campaigning.”
