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 during 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”

said deductions were still being made from Anambra’s monthly federal allocation to service loans inherited from past administrations including that of Obi.

Okafor disclosed this during an interview on the Voice of Ndi Anambra Podcast, a video clip of which was posted on the Facebook page of Anambra State New Media on Monday.

In a statement shared on social media, Obi dismissed this claim and dared the statement government to come forward with contrary proof.

“Okafor said.

Debunking the Phantom Debts and Ecological Loan Fallacy

My attention has been drawn to trending claims by the Anambra State Government that my administration left behind inherited debts, including a ₦2 billion ecological loan, contractor liabilities, and unpaid salaries, gratuities, and pensions. This is completely false.

We systematically liquidated historical gratuities and arrears dating back several years, amounting to over ₦35 billion. At the point of handover, the state owed nothing in salaries, gratuities, or pensions, nor did we owe anything to any contractor for projects duly executed and certified.

The ₦2 billion ecological fund in question was released barely three months before the end of my tenure for the Oko/Umuchiana erosion crisis. Despite pressure to spend the money, I refused, insisting that it should be left for my successor because government is a continuum and the funds were tied to a specific project.

The money was therefore left 100 per cent intact in First Bank, in Account No. 2018779464, with a balance of over ₦2.13 billion.

It is important to stress that funds tied to specific projects or set aside for particular purposes were not even included in the over ₦75 billion in savings we left behind.

If anybody can establish anything to the contrary, I will stop campaigning.

• PO