A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Kenneth Okonkwo, says he was misled about the debt records of Peter Obi during his tenure as governor of Anambra State, saying recent disclosures have changed his position on some of the claims he made in the former governor’s defence.
Okonkwo spoke in an interview ,where he referenced recent statements by the Anambra State Government concerning loans and arrears allegedly linked to previous administrations.
He said the new information had left him reconsidering some of the positions he took while supporting Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), during the 2023 general election.
Okonkwo, who currently serves as spokesman for the presidential campaign council of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, the ADC presidential candidate for 2027, previously played the same role for Obi during the last general election.
He said he had passionately defended Obi’s record at the time and challenged Nigerians to verify his claims, but acknowledged that he could no longer repeat some of those assertions in light of the latest information.
“You know me, I’m a very passionate person in whatever I believe in. Let me tell you because I was misled,” he 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.”
Okonkwo also recalled his previous defence of Obi’s family over claims concerning the cost of a wristwatch allegedly worn by President Bola Tinubu’s son.
“There was a time they figured out that Tinubu’s son was wearing a watch worth up to N135 million,” he said.
“I ran out on television and I said nobody from Peter Obi’s family can ever wear such a thing when people are dying in poverty. I stuck my reputation on it. Can I still say that today?”
He said his approach to Obi’s record would be different ahead of the 2027 election.
“That’s why I said in 2023, I campaigned for them as the examination in chief. In 2027, it’s going to be a cross-examination,” Okonkwo added.
The comments come amid an ongoing dispute between the Anambra State Government and Obi over the debt allegedly left behind by the former governor.
The controversy began in mid-September when Izuchukwu Okafor, Anambra Commissioner for Finance, said the state government was still repaying loans taken by previous administrations, including those of Obi and former governor Willie Obiano.
Obi subsequently rejected the claim, saying he had no outstanding debts in Anambra when he left office.
He also said his administration never owed salaries, pensions or contractor payments during his tenure and that he left N2.1 billion in ecological funds for the state.
The Anambra State Government later said Obi left $123.77 million in external debt when he concluded his tenure and said there was no evidence of the ecological funds he claimed to have left behind.
The government subsequently released official documents relating to N363.38 million in salary arrears it said were inherited from the Obi administration.
Obi served as governor of Anambra State from March 2006 to March 2014, although his first term was interrupted by his impeachment in November 2006.
He returned to office after the court overturned the impeachment and remained governor until March 17, 2014, when he handed over to Obiano.
Boluwatife Enome
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