APC Challenges Peter Obi to Honour Pledge to Withdraw From Presidential Race

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has challenged Peter Obi, the 2027 NDC presidential candidate, to honour his earlier pledge to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race if it is established that his administration left financial liabilities in Anambra State.

The council’s spokesman, Dele Alake, made the demand in a statement while reacting to comments by Obi during a recent interview with the BBC, in which the former Anambra State governor maintained that he won the 2023 presidential election despite acknowledging that he had no evidence to support the claim.

Alake described Obi’s position on the election outcome as contradictory, insisting that the result declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which was subsequently upheld by the Presidential Election Petition Court and the Supreme Court, established President Bola Tinubu as the winner.

On the controversy surrounding Anambra State’s finances, the APC campaign council cited records released by the state government, which it said showed that Obi’s administration contracted $123.77 million in external loans during his tenure as governor between 2006 and 2014.

The council argued that the reported loans contradicted Obi’s public image as a leader who managed public resources prudently and left the state without financial obligations.

“We again call on Peter Obi to act honourably and honour his earlier pledge to exit the 2027 presidential race if it is proven that his administration left behind liabilities in Anambra State,” Alake said.

The APC also urged the former governor to address the allegations surrounding his administration’s financial record rather than continue to campaign for the presidency.

However, Obi has maintained that he left office without outstanding salary, pension and gratuity liabilities, disputing claims by his critics regarding his management of the state’s finances.

The disagreement over Anambra’s debt profile has continued to feature in political exchanges as parties and prospective candidates prepare for the 2027 general elections.