The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council has asked the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race following fresh disclosures by the Anambra State Government over loans and other liabilities allegedly incurred during his tenure as governor.

The APC campaign council said Obi should honour what it described as his earlier pledge to quit the presidential contest if it was established that his administration left behind debt obligations in the state.

In a statement issued on Monday by its spokesman, Dele Alake, the campaign council said the latest disclosures had raised questions over Obi’s long-standing presentation of his eight-year tenure between 2006 and 2014 as one characterised by fiscal prudence and the absence of outstanding liabilities.

The Anambra State Government had last week said Obi’s administration contracted $123.77 million in external loans, with eight loan facilities remaining on the state’s books when he left office on March 17, 2014.

According to the state government, the outstanding balance on the facilities stood at $92.35 million, equivalent to about N127.4 billion, as of June 30, 2026.

The loans, according to the state, were tied to projects covering malaria control, education, healthcare, erosion management, community development and agricultural value-chain development, with successive administrations continuing to service the obligations.

The APC campaign council said the loan records contradicted what it described as the image of a debt-free administration promoted by Obi and his supporters.

“Borrowing is not injudicious if used for development. But for a man who prides himself on being austere and has frequently claimed he left the state with a clean bill of health, the revelations confirmed what has long been held,” the council said.

The campaign council also cited the Anambra government’s claim that Obi’s administration spent about $4.05 billion during its eight years in office, a figure the state reportedly converted to about N5.4 trillion using the applicable exchange rates.

The state government said the $4.05 billion figure was derived from audited expenditures during Obi’s tenure, converted using the average official exchange rates applicable at the time.

The APC council further alleged that Obi’s administration left salary arrears, citing a purported April 25, 2006 memo from his then Chief of Staff, Chuks Ileogbunam, appealing to the former governor to approve N15 million monthly for workers of the Anambra State Water Corporation.

The memo, as reproduced by the campaign council, appealed to Obi to address the workers’ salary situation and avert possible protests over unpaid wages.

“Since it is your excellency’s unchanging desire to achieve a better future for our children and children’s children, please, Sir, bear in mind that officials of the Water Corporation also have children who are looking to your compassionate leadership,” the memo stated.

It added: “I am 200 per cent sure that you will hearken to the cries of the children whose parents work for the Water Corporation and end their ordeal.”

The APC campaign council claimed the alleged salary arrears contradicted a pledge Obi made during his governorship campaign to resign if workers were not paid as and when due.

The council also criticised Obi over what it described as a recent solidarity visit to an individual facing trial by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, although the statement did not identify the person.

It urged the former governor to respond directly to the financial records released by the Anambra State Government rather than continue defending his fiscal record in office.

Obi, however, has rejected claims that he left Anambra State with unpaid salaries, pensions, gratuities or debts owed to contractors for properly executed and certified projects when he handed over power in 2014.

The former governor has also disputed the characterisation of his financial record by the state government.

The APC campaign council maintained that the issue was not whether governments could legitimately borrow for development, but whether Obi’s administration left loan obligations for subsequent administrations to service despite his reported claim that he left the state without liabilities.

Alake said the former governor should honour his reported pledge if the liabilities attributed to his administration were established.

“Indeed, if Peter Obi has any honour, he must resign from the 2027 presidential race forthwith, in keeping with his promise to end his run if it is proven that his administration left behind liabilities in Anambra,” Alake said.

The controversy over the loans and other financial obligations attributed to Obi’s tenure has emerged as a fresh issue in the political contest ahead of the 2027 presidential election.