A political analyst and member of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, (NDC), Dickson Iroegbu, has described Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s claims over outstanding external loans from the Obi administration as a “political witch-hunt,” challenging the state government to release documentary evidence to substantiate its position.
Recall that Soludo had said the Peter Obi administration left eight external loan facilities with an outstanding balance of about ₦127.37 billion as of June 2026, a claim that has sparked a fresh dispute between the two camps.
Reacting to the claim, Iroegbu urged the Soludo administration to release the relevant financial records and documents, insisting that the facts contained in the handover records would establish what the Obi administration left behind.
“First, this is a clear political witch-hunt coming from Professor Chukwuma Soludo. Soludo started this witch-hunt in 2023; it’s not today.
“In this case, Peter Obi’s government did not hand over directly to Chukwuma Soludo’s government first. The government that Peter Obi handed over to did recognize and sign what Peter Obi presented as a handover note. In that handover note, all of the claims of Mr. Peter Obi are well recorded there.
“So if you say Soludo’s attempt now to rewrite history without reminding himself that he took over from a government… The facts are there, and we’re challenging the government to stop playing to the gallery and release documents that will be tendered as facts! Release the records of that account!”
Speaking on the political conflict involving Nyesom Wike, President Bola Tinubu and APC governors, Iroegbu accused them of prioritising personal political interests over the welfare of Nigerians, while alleging that the governors were concerned about Wike’s influence over the 2027 elections.
“Loyalty is to the nation, not to a political party. So truly, they have exposed the level of their greed and how far it has carried them. The friction will continue, and we hope the Nigerian people will take advantage of it.
“Wike is dining with the devil, and he can face whatever it is. The point to make here is that it’s unfortunate that while the nation is drifting, these people are discussing their personal interests—Wike’s interest, Tinubu’s interest, and including the governors of the APC.”
On the dispute between Donald Duke and Liyel Imoke over the Tinapa project, Iroegbu said neither former governor was entirely right, stressing that the project was funded with public resources and should have been sustained as part of the continuity of governance.
“No, they’re not. None of them is right in this case, because sincerely, it’s the people’s resources after all that we’re discussing here. It’s not their personal money that they used to execute the project. Like he rightly said, I was at the opening of Tinapa, and that vision as I understood it was very, very exceptional coming from Donald Duke.
“If governance, as we were previously discussing, is a continuum—that’s all we’re talking about. When a government’s tenure ends, the next government should continue. It’s not your personal resources here. So it’s a failure of that continuity, and that is one of the challenges that we face in governance in Nigeria,” he said.
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