Fact Check: Claim That Peter Obi Left No Debt in Anambra Is False
Peter Obi, former Anambra State governor, has claimed that he did not leave behind any debt nor owe any contractor during his tenure and upon leaving office in 2014. However, this claim is false.
According to a fact check by The Guardian, his assertions have been found to be false and misleading.
In a widely circulated interview with Arise TV in June 2025, former Anambra State governor Peter Obi stated that he left office in March 2014 without owing any contractor, supplier, pensioner, or public servant. He added that he left behind funds sufficient to cover salaries for three months.
“The day I left office, I was not owing one contractor, one supplier who had executed his job… I was not owing gratuity. I was not owing pension. I left salary enough to pay salary for three months,” Obi said.
The statement was widely shared on social media platforms, including X and Facebook, and cited by commentators as proof of Obi’s fiscal prudence. But does this claim hold up to scrutiny?
Background
Peter Obi served as governor of Anambra State from March 2006 to March 2014. He has consistently emphasised his record of fiscal responsibility, often referencing how he left savings in the state’s coffers and met all financial obligations.
His remarks in the Arise TV interview were intended to reinforce his image as a model of transparency and debt-free governance. However, a fact-check analysis reveals that this specific claim is misleading when compared to available financial records.
What Official Records Show
According to figures from the Debt Management Office (DMO)—the most authoritative source on subnational debt in Nigeria—Anambra State owed external debt amounting to $30,323,574.40 as of 31 December 2013. The state’s domestic debt at the same date stood at ₦3,025,797,046.67. These records show that Peter Obi was still in office during this timeframe.
These figures reflect the debt position of Anambra State less than three months before Obi left office on 17 March 2014. The DMO’s reports are not self-reported by states, but are centrally verified, lending them significant credibility.
Archived Source: DMO Subnational Debt Profile – 2013
Budgetary & Fiscal Reports from Anambra State
Historical budget performance documents for Anambra State also indicate the existence of debt obligations—both federally approved loans and internally generated debts.
While Peter Obi may have ensured prompt salary payments and completed capital projects, these reports reveal ongoing liabilities managed by the state government during his tenure.
Source: Anambra State Fiscal Strategy Documents (2013–2014)
Interpreting the Claim – Semantic or Factual?
Peter Obi’s assertion may rely on a technical distinction:
Contractual Liabilities: These include unpaid invoices, contractor arrears, or pension backlogs.
Public Debt: This encompasses formal obligations such as bonds, credit lines, and bilateral/multilateral loans.
Obi may be claiming that no unpaid claims were left for contractors or civil servants—a point not directly contradicted by DMO records, which track formal debt rather than informal arrears.
However, his absolute claim that he was “not owing anybody” and that “you can call the person” fails to acknowledge this nuance. In fact, his statement explicitly rules out all forms of debt, including those captured in DMO records.
Verdict: MISLEADING
While Peter Obi may have cleared salary payments and settled contractor fees, his sweeping claim that he left Anambra State without owing “anybody” is contradicted by verified data from Nigeria’s Debt Management Office.
The state carried both domestic and external debt at the time of his departure. A more accurate statement would have acknowledged the distinction between operational liabilities and formal debt obligations.
Sources:
Nigeria Debt Management Office (DMO) – Subnational Debt Profile, 2013
Anambra State Budget & Fiscal Performance Reports (2013–2014)
Arise TV Interview, June 2025
Archived DMO Data – External Debt (2013)
Archived State Government Financial Reports (2013)
(Guardian )
