POLITICS
Busted: Peter Obi Actually Left More Debt For Anambra Than Any Governor Before Him! – Reno Omokri
Responding to the recent interview granted by presidential candidate of labor party Peter Obi, Reno write.
Peter Obi’s claim during a recent interview that he left $150 million and ₦36 billion in the coffers of Anambra State is dishonest, fallacious, misleading and typical Obi doublespeak.
The truth is that Peter Obi is a manipulator and economic terrorist who knew what he was doing when he made that inaccurate statement.
Please fact-check me: Peter Obi actually left a debt of ₦127 billion that was due IMMEDIATELY after his successor, Governor Willie Obiano, took office. This debt mainly consisted of unpaid monies owed to contractors engaged by the Peter Obi administration.
More of the debt came from approvals Peter Obi made as he was about to leave office. He deliberately timed these contract approvals to be due when he handed over to Mr. Obiano, so he could claim that he left money and Governor Obiano squandered it.
In his last days in office, Mr. Obi was accused by his successor of employing thousands of new staff for the Anambra State Government at the last minute, without making provision for their salaries. When Mr. Obiano took over, these workers’ wages became due.
If you take into account the value of the Naira in 2014, when Peter Obi handed over to Governor Willie Obiano, which was approximately ₦150 to $1, the ₦127 billion debt that Mr. Peter Obi left behind was worth around $847 million, far outstripping the so-called money he claimed to have left behind.
Also, the money Mr. Obi claimed to have left behind was not all in cash. Much of it was in supposed assets, which were overvalued by Mr. Peter Obi. When the new Obiano government surveyed the quantity, it found it to be grossly exaggerated, with some even being liabilities.
For example, Peter Obi invested $12,616,356.43 of Anambra State funds in Intafact Beverages Limited. He claimed that this was part of the assets he left behind. But in actual fact, that brewery became a loss-making business, and the shares held by the Anambra State Government depreciated to about $5.4 million.
Additionally, much of the actual cash Peter Obi left behind was in Fidelity Bank, where he was one of the largest shareholders and a former Chairman.
Peter Obi placed an amount equivalent to $20 million in a Fidelity Bank account with account number 5030047097. This money was earning interest for Fidelity Bank, interest that was partly going into his personal pocket. If I am lying, let Peter Obi sue me. I have all the facts.
Considering this, Peter Obi’s claim that he left money behind for the Anambra State Government is not only false but also almost criminal when you consider that from 1999 to 2023, Peter Obi was the ONLY Anambra State Governor under whom poverty increased.
Please fact-check me: All the other Governors before him and the Governor immediately after him reduced poverty. But Peter Obi increased poverty in Anambra from 41.4% to 53.7%, while purporting to leave money in a bank where he held significant shares.
It is believed that the reason Peter Obi did not build a single nursery, primary, or secondary school and university (which is partly responsible for why poverty increased under his watch) is because he wanted Anambra State Government funds to sit in Fidelity Bank, rather than to be used for poverty reduction.
The Nigeria Democratic Congress has fixed October 20 for the inauguration of its Presidential Campaign Council ahead of the 2027 general elections, with its national chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas, insisting that the party remains united behind its presidential ticket.
Cleopas disclosed this on Saturday at a press briefing in Abuja, saying the inauguration would take place during a meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee, where key decisions on its preparations for the elections would also be ratified.
He said the party would present Certificates of Return to its candidates and hold a dinner to strengthen cooperation ahead of the polls.
He said, “The propaganda that our party is not committed to the elections is definitely a sign of fear in the camp of the ruling party.
“In preparation for full campaign takeoff, we have proposed a meeting of the National Executive Committee of the party on October 20.
“It is at that NEC meeting that we will officially inaugurate the NDC Presidential Campaign Council and ratify certain key decisions related to the 2027 General Election.”
The chairman said the party was prioritising the composition of the council to ensure that members were suitable for the responsibilities they would be given.
“It is better to get it right. It is a sensitive election that we are going into. And we must check characters,” he said.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State has put to rest speculation over its governorship ticket, with the state Chairman, Hon. Chijioke Chukwu, reaffirming Eric Opah as the party’s candidate for the 2027 general election.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with FLO 94.9 FM, Chukwu declared that all controversies surrounding the party’s primaries have been resolved, and the results announced by the primary election committee — and subsequently ratified by the APC National Working Committee — remain valid and binding.
“The results of the primaries as announced by the primary election committee and ratified by the National Working Committee stand,” Chukwu said. He stressed that Eric Opah is the authentic governorship candidate of the APC in Abia State.
The chairman called on all party members to bury their differences and close ranks in order to build a formidable APC ahead of the 2027 polls.
In the same interview, Chukwu also confirmed that Hon. Erondu Uchenna will be the party’s candidate for the Abia South Senatorial District seat in the upcoming elections.
The National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress, Bolaji Abdullahi, has alleged that Justice Peter Lifu acted in contempt of court by issuing a judgment that deregistered the ADC and four other political parties despite a pending appeal.
According to Abdullahi, the Court of Appeal had directed that no action should be taken on the matter until the appeal is heard on October 27. He argued that proceeding with the judgment before the appellate court’s determination amounts to a disregard for the court’s directive.
“Justice Peter Lifu, the judge who gave the judgment that deregistered the ADC and four other parties, should be arrested. The Appeal Court said don’t act until the case is heard on October 27. He’s acting in contempt of court,” Abdullahi stated.
The remarks add a new dimension to the legal and political controversy surrounding the status of the affected political parties, with the matter expected to be further addressed when the appeal comes up for hearing.
-
OPINION1 year ago10 seconds with Wike, reshaped my mindset on the difference between wants and needs – Udensi Bernard
-
NEWS1 year agoEFCC Detains Former Governor Tambuwal Over Alleged ₦189bn Fraud
-
NEWS1 year agoGov. Mbah Increases Corps Members’ Allowance to ₦20,000
-
NEWS1 year agoRep. Unyime Idem Unveils ₦1bn Family Business Grant for Constituents
-
NEWS1 year agoAppeal Court Orders FRSC to Pay ₦10 Million in Landmark Human Rights Case
-
POLITICS1 year agoDr. Okezie Ikpeazu: A Voice That Still Inspires – Enyinnaya Appolos
-
NEWS1 year agoIkonne to Otti: Fear God, Show Us 51 Schools for ₦54bn, Stop Forcing ₦36k Revenue on Aba Traders
-
NEWS1 year ago
Prince Paul Ikonne Applauds Governor Uzodinma’s Support for Aba State, Criticizes Governor Otti’s Stance