AWKA — The Anambra State Government has escalated its ongoing public feud with former Governor Peter Obi, releasing legal documents and official correspondence to challenge his claims of leaving office without unpaid salaries, pensions, or debt liabilities.
In a series of public disclosures issued on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, through the state’s New Media Office and Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Dr. Law Mefor, the state government published a signed 2024 out-of-court settlement document detailing over ₦1.5 billion in verified salary arrears owed to staff of the defunct Anambra State Water Corporation and the Anambra State Environmental Protection Agency (ANSEPA).
The “Terms of Settlement” document, executed on February 6, 2024, between the Professor Charles Soludo administration and the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service, Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE), establishes that the state government agreed to liquidate ₦1.32 billion in Water Corporation arrears and ₦238.1 million in ANSEPA backlog across a four-year payment schedule running through 2027. Government officials argued that the existence of judicial settlement agreements for liabilities originating from Obi’s tenure directly contradicts his public declaration that he left no salary or gratuity obligations.
To further substantiate its position, the state government released an internal memo dated April 25, 2006, purportedly written by Obi’s former Chief of Staff, Chuks Iloegbunam. Titled Gubernatorial Prerogative, the letter appealed to the then-governor to address multi-month salary backlogs for Water Corporation workers, referencing Obi’s campaign pledge to resign if civil servants went unpaid as and when due. The administration also alleged that out of 16 months of verified salary arrears for primary school teachers, the Obi administration cleared only five months before handing over power in March 2014, leaving the balance for subsequent administrations.
Challenging Obi to honor his recent pledge to withdraw from the 2027 presidential contest if proven that his administration left debt or unpaid obligations, the state government asserted that official records from the Debt Management Office (DMO) show $123.77 million in external borrowings contracted during his tenure, with current servicing obligations standing at ₦127.4 billion due to exchange rate adjustments.
Rebuffing the claims, representatives for Peter Obi maintained that his administration systematically liquidated over ₦35 billion in historical gratuity and salary backlogs inherited from preceding governments while successfully building up substantial cash reserves. Obi’s media team dismissed the state government’s disclosures as politically motivated propaganda designed to distract from current governance challenges, asserting that all contractual and labor commitments certified during his tenure were fully funded prior to his departure.
