Lagos — African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain Kenneth Okonkwo has recanted his earlier defence of former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi’s debt record, saying he was “misled” when he claimed in 2023 that Obi left office without debts or unpaid obligations.
Okonkwo, who served as spokesperson for Obi’s presidential campaign during the 2023 election and is now spokesman for the presidential campaign council of ADC candidate Atiku Abubakar, made the comments while speaking on TVC’s Sunday Politics programme.
He recalled telling Nigerians during the 2023 campaign that Obi did not leave any debt, unpaid salaries, gratuities or pensions when he left office as Anambra governor, and had urged the public to verify the claims.
“You know me, I’m a very passionate person in whatever I believe in. Let me tell you because I was misled,” Okonkwo said.
“There was a time I told Nigerians that Peter Obi was not owing anything, did not leave any debt, he was not owing any salary. No gratuity. No pension. And I said, go and verify.
“I’m not a man that stands on my own misunderstanding. When I see the facts, I agree.
“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.”
The comments come amid an ongoing dispute between Obi and the Anambra State Government under Governor Chukwuma Soludo over the state’s financial inheritance from Obi’s tenure (2006–2014).
The state government has said eight external financing facilities linked to projects undertaken during Obi’s administration had a combined contracted value of about $123.77 million, with roughly $92.35 million (approximately ₦127.37 billion at the official exchange rate) still outstanding as of June 30, 2026. It has also alleged unpaid salaries and arrears at the state-owned water corporation.
Obi has rejected the claims, describing them as “very wrong public accounting.” He maintains that he never approached any financial institution to borrow money or issue bonds on behalf of the state, and that Anambra’s external debt stood at about $30 million when he left office in March 2014, citing Debt Management Office figures. Obi has also insisted he left the state with more than $150 million in investments and no outstanding salaries, pensions, gratuities or contractor payments.
Okonkwo’s U-turn marks a notable shift for the Nollywood actor-turned-politician, who had been a prominent defender of Obi’s record during the 2023 campaign.
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