Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Ilorin, Kwara State, for the turbaning of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as the Sardauna of Ilorin and the commissioning of the Kwara Garment Factory.

The Vice President’s arrival was disclosed on Wednesday by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications in the Office of the Vice President.

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Shettima was received by Governor AbdulRazaq and other dignitaries, including Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji, Gombe State Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya and Kebbi State Governor Nasir Idris.

The governors are in Ilorin to show solidarity with AbdulRazaq, who also serves as Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, as he receives the traditional title from the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, at the Emir’s Palace.

Shettima is also expected to commission the Kwara Garment Factory, one of the state’s major industrial projects aimed at boosting local production and creating employment opportunities.

The Akwa Ibom State Government has announced that unregistered commercial tricycles and buses will no longer be allowed to operate on roads across the state from October 1, 2026.

The governor disclosed this on Wednesday while announcing a September 30 deadline for all commercial tricycle and bus operators to complete their registration and obtain identification numbers and QR codes.

According to the governor, the directive is part of measures to strengthen security and ensure that commercial transport operators can be properly identified and tracked where necessary.

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The governor said, “I have directed all commercial tricycle and bus operators in Akwa Ibom State to complete their registration and obtain identification numbers and QR codes on or before September 30, 2026.

“After the deadline, no unregistered public transport vehicle will be allowed to operate on our roads.

“This is part of our effort to strengthen security and ensure that commercial transport operators can be properly identified and tracked where necessary.”

The governor also inspected several ongoing projects and facilities, including the CNG Bus Terminal, Victor Attah International Airport Hospital, Aviation Staff Quarters and Dakkada Luxury Estate.

He said work was progressing at the facilities, adding that the CNG transport facilities were expected to become operational by November.

Presidential media aide Bayo Onanuga has challenged former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi to follow through on his pledge to stop campaigning if claims that his administration left behind debts are proven to be true.

Onanuga made the challenge on Wednesday while reacting to the latest allegations by the Anambra State Government concerning the financial record of Obi’s administration.

In a post on X, Onanuga wrote: “Peter Obi claimed he left Anambra with a clean slate of debt and even threatened to quit the presidential race if his claims were proven otherwise.

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“Now, the Anambra government has confronted him with facts and figures showing he owed Water Corporation workers, teachers, and pension and gratuities, and had also borrowed for frivolous things.

“The ball is back in his court. Will he follow through on his threat by quitting the race?”

The statement came a day after Obi rejected allegations that he left Anambra with unpaid financial obligations when he handed over power.

Obi, in a statement posted on Tuesday, insisted that his administration had cleared more than ₦35bn in historical gratuities and arrears and left the state without outstanding salaries, pensions or gratuities.

He also maintained that his administration did not owe suppliers or contractors whose projects had been duly executed and certified.

“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,” Obi said.

The former governor also challenged anyone disputing his account to produce evidence, declaring: “If anybody can establish anything to the contrary, I will stop campaigning.”

Ecological fund controversy

Obi further disputed claims surrounding an alleged ₦2bn ecological fund.

According to him, the money was released about three months before the end of his administration for the Oko/Umuchiana erosion crisis.

He said he deliberately refused to spend the funds before leaving office, insisting that the money should be preserved for his successor because it was tied to a specific project.

Obi said more than ₦2.13bn remained untouched in First Bank Account No. 2018779464 at the time he left office.

He also said the ecological fund was separate from the more than ₦75bn in savings and investments he claimed his administration left behind.

Anambra government disputes Obi’s account

The Anambra State Government, however, has presented a different account of the state’s financial position.

The state’s Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Law Mefor, responded to Obi’s claims in a statement detailing what the government described as records of public debts and liabilities associated with his administration.

The government said Obi’s administration contracted eight multilateral development loans between 2007 and 2013, covering projects in health, education, agriculture, community development and erosion control.

According to the figures contained in the government’s statement, the facilities had a combined original value of $123.77m, with an outstanding balance of $92.35m as of June 30, 2026.

The government said the current administration continues to service the inherited obligations.

The Anambra government also disputed Obi’s claim that he left no unpaid personnel liabilities.

It alleged that 16 months of primary school teachers’ salary arrears inherited from the administration of former Governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju were verified during Obi’s tenure, but that only five months were paid, leaving 11 months outstanding.

It further alleged that salary arrears involving workers of the defunct Anambra Water Corporation remained unresolved and eventually resulted in court judgments.

The Soludo administration, according to the statement, subsequently negotiated a settlement involving the Water Corporation workers and began payment in three tranches.

The state government also said it had cleared about ₦22bn in inherited gratuity arrears.

First Bank account under scrutiny

The government further challenged Obi’s account of the alleged ₦2.13bn ecological fund.

According to the state’s position, certified bank statements from the account’s inception showed that First Bank Account No. 2018779464 was an Internally Generated Revenue/Consolidated Revenue account and not an ecological fund account.

The government claimed that the records did not show an inflow or balance corresponding to the ₦2.13bn cited by Obi.

It also questioned Obi’s claim that his administration left about ₦75bn in savings and investments, calling for documentary records to substantiate the figure.

The dispute follows comments by Anambra Commissioner for Finance Izuchukwu Okafor that the state was still servicing loans inherited from previous administrations, including those of Obi and former Governor Willie Obiano.

Okafor said the Soludo administration had not borrowed from any commercial bank since taking office but was continuing to service inherited obligations.