Obi’s Debt Storm Deepens as Okonkwo Says: ‘I Was Misled’

The controversy over the financial record of former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi has taken a fresh turn after his former 2023 campaign spokesman, Kenneth Okonkwo, said he was “misled” when he previously defended the former governor against claims that his administration left debts and other financial obligations behind.

Okonkwo made the disclosure on Sunday Politics, a programme on Television Continental (TVC), saying he could no longer repeat some of the claims he made in Obi’s defence after considering fresh information presented by the Anambra State Government.

The development has added a new dimension to the ongoing disagreement between Obi and the Anambra State Government over loans, salary arrears and other financial obligations allegedly connected to his administration.

Recalling his position during the 2023 presidential campaign, Okonkwo said he had confidently told Nigerians that Obi left office without debts, unpaid salaries, pensions or gratuities and challenged people to verify his claims.

However, he said his position had changed after new information emerged.

“You know me, I’m a very passionate person in whatever I believe in. Let me tell you because I was misled,” Okonkwo said.

He added that he was not prepared to continue defending a position if new facts showed that his previous understanding was incorrect.

“I’m not a man that stands on my own misunderstanding. When I see the facts, I agree,” he said.

Okonkwo specifically referred to claims by the Anambra State Government that Obi’s administration obtained eight loans and that workers at the state-owned water corporation were owed salaries and arrears.

“The fact is Anambra State Government said he borrowed eight loans. The fact is that Anambra State said that at the water corporation, he was owing workers there, all the salaries, all the arrears. I cannot say the same thing that I said about Peter Obi in 2023,” he said.

The comments came against the backdrop of an escalating dispute between Obi and the Anambra State Government over the state’s debt profile.

The state government has said eight external financing facilities associated with projects undertaken during Obi’s tenure had a combined contracted value of $123.77 million, with $92.35 million outstanding as of June 30, 2026.

Obi has rejected the description of the entire $123.77 million figure as debt he left behind, arguing that the figure includes different categories of multilateral development financing. He has also cited Debt Management Office figures in arguing that Anambra’s external debt stood at about $30 million when he left office in March 2014.

Another major point of disagreement is Obi’s claim that his administration left about N2.1 billion in an ecological fund for Anambra State.

While Obi has maintained that the fund existed and was left for the state, the Anambra Government has disputed the claim and said it has no evidence of the ecological fund in the form alleged by the former governor.

The state government has also released documents relating to N363.38 million in salary arrears, which it says were inherited from the Obi administration. The issue has become part of the broader argument over whether Obi left outstanding financial obligations when he handed over power to Willie Obiano in March 2014.

Okonkwo also revisited his previous defence of Obi’s family over claims concerning an expensive wristwatch allegedly worn by a son of President Bola Tinubu.

He recalled that he had previously gone on television to defend Obi’s family and stake his reputation on the position he took at the time.

But he questioned whether he could make the same assertion today, further illustrating the extent of his stated change in position.

Explaining his approach ahead of the 2027 election, Okonkwo used courtroom language to describe the difference between his role in 2023 and his current political position.

“That’s why I said in 2023, I campaigned for them as the examination in chief. In 2027, it’s going to be a cross-examination,” he said.

Okonkwo is now a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and spokesman for the presidential campaign council of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, the ADC’s 2027 presidential candidate. He served as a spokesman for Obi during the 2023 presidential campaign.

Obi, meanwhile, remains at the centre of the political and financial controversy, with his record as Anambra governor increasingly becoming a subject of scrutiny as the 2027 political season approaches.

The latest comments by Okonkwo are unlikely to end the dispute, as the central questions over the nature of the loans, outstanding obligations and the financial position of Anambra at the end of Obi’s tenure remain subjects of competing claims by the former governor and the state government.

Obi’s Debt Storm Deepens as Okonkwo Says: ‘I Was Misled’

Why I Can No Longer Defend Peter Obi’s Lifestyle – Okonkwo

ENUGU – Kenneth Okonkwo, the former spokesperson for the Labour Party (LP) Presidential Campaign Council and current chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has officially recanted his previous public defense of the lifestyle of the 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

In a statement made available to journalists on Sunday, Okonkwo revealed that he has reconsidered his past remarks regarding the wealth and spending habits of Nigerian political leaders and their families.

The former Nollywood actor specifically recalled an incident during the 2023 election cycle when he publicly stated that no member of the Obi family could afford a luxury wristwatch valued at ₦135 million—a direct comparison to a watch worn by one of President Bola Tinubu’s sons.

“When Tinubu’s son wore a ₦135m watch, I said nobody from Obi’s family can ever wear such,” Okonkwo stated. “I made that statement based on the perception that the Obi family lived a modest lifestyle.”

However, Okonkwo now claims that new information has made it impossible for him to continue making such assertions. He cited the recent disclosures by the Anambra State Government regarding Obi’s tenure as governor, which alleged that the former governor left behind massive debts and unpaid salaries.

“I have reconsidered my previous remarks regarding the lifestyles of Nigerian political leaders and their families,” Okonkwo said. “Given the revelations about the debts and unpaid salaries allegedly left behind in Anambra, I cannot repeat that statement.”

The ADC spokesperson’s reversal marks a significant shift in the political landscape, as Okonkwo was one of Obi’s most vocal defenders during the 2023 general elections. His latest comments are expected to spark further debate regarding the financial transparency of political leaders and the ongoing war of words between the Obidient movement and the Anambra State Government.

Attempts to get a reaction from the Peter Obi media team were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.

Why I Can No Longer Defend Peter Obi’s Lifestyle – Okonkwo

Umahi’s ‘I Killed PDP’ Boast Ignites 2027 Political Firestorm

Ebonyi State – The Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has ignited a political firestorm after declaring that he “killed” the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) when he defected in 2020, warning that he will “kill them again” if the party attempts to revive ahead of the 2027 general election. The PDP has hit back with equal ferocity, insisting that no individual can “kill” a registered political party, and that the ballot belongs to the people, not to any politician.

Mr Umahi made the explosive remarks during an inspection of the dualised Abakaliki–Afikpo section of the Calabar–Abuja Super Highway in Ebonyi State. In a tone that left little room for ambiguity, he declared: “I killed the PDP when I left the PDP. Whether they are alive again, if they are alive, we will have to kill them again because the PDP did not treat the people of the South-East well.” He elaborated that the South-East had long supported the PDP and voted for its presidential candidates, only to be neglected when the party had the opportunity to reward the region. “We supported the PDP, voted for the PDP presidential candidate, but when it was time for them to honour us, they did not honour us; they maltreated us. But we have hope in the APC and all APC candidates in Ebonyi State,” he said. The remarks are being widely interpreted as a political declaration aimed squarely at the 2027 elections, with Mr Umahi making clear that he would ensure the PDP does not return to power in Ebonyi State, reiterating his loyalty to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Tinubu.

Addressing his relationship with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, Mr Umahi acknowledged that the two are “good friends and brothers” but categorically denied the existence of any so-called “Rainbow Coalition” in Ebonyi State. Mr Wike has been linked to a cross-party alliance aimed at supporting President Tinubu’s re-election in 2027. “If Wike has a candidate here, he did not tell me. His candidate cannot destroy our relationship, but his candidate is not part of our relationship. There is no Rainbow Coalition in Ebonyi State,” Mr Umahi said. He warned that anyone attempting to foment crisis in Ebonyi State would be “chased out”, while noting that opposition parties are free to campaign but must not spread hate speech.

The Ebonyi State chapter of the PDP responded forcefully to Mr Umahi’s comments. In a statement issued by its Publicity Secretary, Darlington Peter Onwe, the party described the remarks as “disturbing and improper in a democratic environment”, stressing that no individual can determine the survival of a registered political party. “The PDP is a political organisation, not an individual. It cannot be killed or ‘wiped out’ by any politician,” Mr Onwe said. “Our party belongs to the millions of Nigerians who believe in democracy, constitutional governance, and the right of citizens to organise and contest elections.” The PDP demanded that Mr Umahi clarify the exact meaning of his phrase “we will wipe it out”, and called on political actors to exercise restraint ahead of the 2027 general election, urging them to avoid language that could be construed as a threat. “Elections are determined by the people, not by a politician’s declaration that he has killed or will kill a political party. The ballot belongs to the people of Ebonyi State,” the party stated.

Mr Umahi’s political trajectory is itself dramatic. He rose through the ranks of the PDP, serving as the party’s Ebonyi State chairman, deputy governor, and subsequently as governor, winning election on the PDP platform in 2015 and 2019. In November 2020, he defected to the ruling APC, citing the South-East’s unfair treatment by the PDP. He became the first sitting governor to defect from the PDP after the 2019 election. At the time, he stated explicitly that the move was a protest against the PDP’s twenty-year refusal to zone the presidential ticket to the South-East, and denied harbouring personal presidential ambitions. Now, as Minister of Works, he has become one of the most vocal defenders of the APC-led government, frequently championing the Tinubu administration’s infrastructure record and positioning himself as the South-East’s representative within the ruling party.

The exchange comes as political activity ahead of the 2027 governorship election in Ebonyi State gathers pace. The incumbent governor, Francis Nwifuru, is of the APC, and Mr Umahi has made clear he will support his re-election, stating that “there is no vacancy in Ebonyi State”. The PDP, for its part, has put forward Ifeanyi Odii as its governorship candidate. Mr Umahi’s remarks were made in response to a question about whether he would support Mr Odii. Analysts suggest that Mr Umahi’s “I killed the PDP” declaration is intended to signal to Ebonyi State voters that the PDP’s political machine in the state has been dismantled by his own hand, and that they should remain in the APC fold. The PDP’s swift rebuttal, however, indicates that the party has no intention of sitting out the 2027 contest, and is seeking to frame Mr Umahi’s comments as political intimidation in order to win voter sympathy and support.

Umahi’s ‘I Killed PDP’ Boast Ignites 2027 Political Firestorm