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.

The Nigeria Police Force has presented insurance benefit cheques worth ₦9.797m to the families and beneficiaries of police officers who died in the line of duty in Ekiti State.

The Commissioner of Police in Ekiti State, Michael Falade, presented the cheques on behalf of the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday.

According to a statement made available on Wednesday, Falade said the payment reflected the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to the welfare of its personnel and the families they leave behind.

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He said, “It reflects the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to the welfare of its personnel and the families they leave behind in case of death.

“The commissioner described the gesture as “a practical expression of the Force’s appreciation for the sacrifices of its fallen heroes.”

Falade noted that although no amount of money could replace a loved one, the insurance benefit would provide meaningful support to the families left behind.

He assured the beneficiaries that “the Nigeria Police Force remembers its own and will not abandon the families of officers who paid the supreme price.”

He urged the families to utilise the funds prudently, particularly for the education and welfare of the children of the deceased officers.

The Ekiti police commissioner also commended the IGP, Force Management Team, relevant insurance stakeholders and the Force Insurance Unit for their efforts in settling the legitimate claims.

He assured serving police personnel that the welfare of officers and their families remained a priority of the Force.

Falade extended his condolences to the affected families and prayed for strength for them to bear their loss and for the eternal rest of the deceased officers.

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Mathew Emmanuel appreciated the IGP and the entire Nigeria Police Force for the gesture and continued support to the families of the fallen officers.

Emmanuel assured that the funds would be judiciously utilised for the welfare and benefit of the families of the deceased officers.

Two women have been killed in a fresh attack in India’s northeastern state of Manipur, with the latest incident bringing the number of civilian deaths linked to ethnic violence in the state to 10 in the past three weeks.

The women were killed near their home in Tamenglong district, about 150 kilometres west of the state capital, Imphal.

Confirming the incident on Wednesday, police said the attack occurred on Tuesday afternoon and had triggered a shutdown in the area.

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“There is an ongoing shutdown in Tamenglong because of the killing of two women… on Tuesday afternoon,” the district police superintendent, Lanmiyo Luikham, told AFP.

Luikham said the attack appeared to be linked to recent clashes between predominantly Christian Naga and Kuki communities.

“We are carrying out the investigation and necessary formalities, and focusing on maintaining calm in the region,” he said.
The latest killings occurred just days after eight people were killed in three separate incidents across Manipur.

The northeastern state has been plagued by ethnic violence since 2023, primarily involving the predominantly Hindu Meitei majority and mainly Christian Kuki minority.

The conflict has also increasingly drawn in the Naga community.

The violence has been fuelled by competing claims over land and political influence and has claimed more than 250 lives since it began.

Manipur also shares a porous border with war-torn Myanmar, adding to the security challenges facing authorities in the region.
Despite efforts by the Indian government to restore normalcy, fresh outbreaks of violence have continued in parts of the state.

Police said investigations into the latest attack are ongoing as authorities work to maintain calm in the affected area.