Posted by Chinenye on Thu 17th Sep, 2026 - tori.ng
A fresh political fight has started over Peter Obi’s time as Anambra governor.
(The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo and National Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Peter Obi. Photo by The Whistler Newspaper)
Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo has thrown his weight behind Anambra State Government's move to fact-check former Governor Peter Obi's claims about his tenure.
Keyamo said on social media that those questioning the scrutiny of Obi's record are hypocrites when they routinely examine President Tinubu's time as Lagos governor.
Both men are seeking the presidency, Keyamo noted, making their public records fair game.
He questioned why critics oppose checking Obi's claims from 19 years ago while accepting examination of Tinubu's Lagos record from 27 years back.
The dispute centres on Obi's claim that he left Anambra without debt when he stepped down in 2014.
The Anambra government contradicts this, saying eight external loans his administration contracted still carry an outstanding balance of N127.37 billion as of June 2026.
According to government records, the original loan value was $123.77 million with $92.35 million still outstanding.
The largest single debt stems from a State Education Programme Investment Project worth $37.34 million originally, with $48.08 billion owed from another loan for erosion and watershed management.
Obi previously insisted he left office without salaries, pensions, gratuities or contractor debts still owed.
He challenged the state government to produce evidence.
The government responded by citing Debt Management Office records showing the eight different external borrowings contracted between 2007 and 2013.
The Anambra government also disputed Obi's claim that he left more than N2.13 billion in an ecological fund account at First Bank.
Government said certified records show that account was for internally generated revenue, not an ecological fund.
It criticised infrastructure and services left behind including broken water schemes, failing schools and hospitals and poor road networks.