ADC chieftain Kenneth Okonkwo retracts claims about Peter Obi’s Anambra debt record

Kenneth Okonkwo, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, has said he was misled when he previously defended former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi against claims that his administration left debts and other financial obligations behind. Okonkwo, who served as Obi’s spokesman during the 2023 presidential campaign, said he could no longer repeat some of Read More: https://punchng.com/2027-kenneth-okonkwo-changes-position-on-obis-anambra-debt-record/

A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Kenneth Okonkwo, says he was misled when he defended the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, presidential candidate, Peter Obi, over claims that he left debts behind as Anambra State governor. Okonkwo spoke on Sunday Politics, a program on TVC. He stated that he can no longer stand by […] ‘I was misled’ – Kenneth Okonkwo makes U-turn on Peter Obi’s debt record

African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain Kenneth Okonkwo has said the Peter Obi he campaigned for in 2023 is different from the man he sees today, admitting he was misled when he previously defended the former Anambra State governor’s financial record in office.Okonkwo, who served as spokesperson for Obi’s Labour Party presidential campaign, made the remarks while speaking on TVC’s Sunday Politics programme. He explained that he can no longer stand by the claims he made about Obi three years ago.“I cannot say the same thing that I said about Peter Obi in 2023,” Okonkwo stated. He recalled telling Nigerians that Obi left Anambra State without outstanding debts, unpaid salaries, pensions or gratuities. Those assertions, he said, were based on the information available to him at the time.Fresh disclosures by the Anambra State Government have changed his position. The state claims eight external financing facilities linked to projects during Obi’s tenure had a combined contracted value of $123.77 million, with $92.35 million still outstanding as of June 30, 2026.Obi has disputed the figures, insisting he neither borrowed money from financial institutions nor issued bonds on behalf of the state. He argued that the amounts cited relate to multi-year World Bank and International Fund for Agricultural Development programmes negotiated by the Federal Government, and that Anambra’s external debt stood at about $30 million when he left office in March 2014.Okonkwo said the controversy highlights the need to separate political advocacy from rigorous scrutiny when new facts emerge. He noted that his role has shifted from defending allies in 2023 to questioning claims ahead of the 2027 presidential election. The former Labour Party spokesman is now aligned with the ADC and associated with the campaign of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.    

 Kenneth Okonkwo, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), says he was misled on the disputed debt records of Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), during his tenure as governor of Anambra.   Okonkwo spoke on ‘Sunday Politics’, a programme on Television Continental (TVC).   He pointed to recent statements from the Anambra state government, adding that the disclosures have left him reconsidering some of his stance on Obi before the 2023 general election.   Okonkwo currently serves as spokesman for the presidential campaign council of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, the ADC presidential candidate for 2027.     He played the same role for Obi during the last general poll, often defending the former governor’s records with characteristic fervour, while challenging Nigerians to fact-check his claims.   On Sunday, however, Okonkwo said he could no longer stand by some of the claims he tendered on Obi in the face of new information concerning the latter’s stint in Anambra.   “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 how he previously defended Obi’s family over claims about 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 added that his position on Obi’s records has now changed.   “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.     BACK STORY   Okonkwo’s remarks come amid lingering 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, the commissioner for finance in Anambra, said the government is still repaying loans taken by previous administrations, including those of former governors Obi and Willie Obiano.   Obi would later counter the commissioner, saying he had no outstanding debts in the south-east state when he left office.     He said his administration never owed any salaries, pensions, or contractor payments during his tenure, adding that he left N2.1 billion ecological fund for the state.   But the Anambra government pushed back days later, saying Obi left $123.77 million in debt as of the time he concluded his tenure, and that there was no evidence of the ecological funds he claimed to have bequeathed.     The government later released official documents relating to N363.38 million in salary arrears inherited from the Obi administration.   Obi served as governor of Anambra from March 2006 to March 2014, but his first term was interrupted by impeachment in November 2006.   He returned to office after the court overturned the impeachment and served until March 17, 2014, when he handed the reins to Obiano.

ABUJA — A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Kenneth Okonkwo, has said he was misled when he defended former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi against claims that his administration left debts and other financial obligations behind. Okonkwo, who was Obi’s spokesman during the 2023 presidential campaign, said he could no longer repeat some […] The post ‘I was misled,’ Kenneth Okonkwo makes U-turn on Obi’s debt record appeared first on Vanguard News.