The political dispute between former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi and his successor, Chukwuma Soludo, has widened from a disagreement over the state’s debt profile to a public dispute involving the relationship between their families.
The latest development has renewed calls from some Anambra stakeholders for respected elders to intervene and prevent the increasingly public exchange between the two politicians from escalating further.
The dispute began after Obi insisted that he left Anambra State debt-free when he handed over power in 2014, while also maintaining that his administration left more than N75 billion in savings.
The Soludo administration subsequently released details of external financing associated with projects undertaken during Obi’s tenure, arguing that the former governor left liabilities that successive administrations have continued to service.
In a statement, Anambra State Commissioner for Information, Law Mefor, said the government was responding to a challenge Obi himself had issued, after he called on anyone who could prove that he left debts behind to do so.
The state government said records showed that eight external facilities associated with Obi’s administration had a combined contracted value of $123.77 million, with $92.35 million outstanding as of June 30, 2026. It said the facilities were obtained through the IDA-World Bank framework and that repayments were being made by the state.
Mefor also cited outstanding obligations involving workers of the Anambra State Water Corporation, saying the state had records of unpaid salaries, pensions and gratuities.
The commissioner further disputed Obi’s account of the state’s financial position, arguing that assets and liabilities should both be reflected in any assessment of a government’s finances.
Obi, however, has rejected the characterisation of the multilateral financing as debt he personally borrowed on behalf of Anambra.
In his response, he maintained that he did not approach any financial institution to borrow money or issue a bond for the state during his tenure. He also argued that the state government had combined different categories of multilateral financing and presented the resulting figure as debt left by his administration.
Obi has also maintained that he left substantial savings for the state when he left office.
The competing claims have not been resolved publicly, with the two sides offering different interpretations of the financing arrangements and the state’s liabilities at the end of Obi’s tenure.
Families Drawn Into Political Dispute
The dispute took another turn after Obi, speaking at the Nigerian Guild of Editors’ 22nd Conference in Enugu, dismissed suggestions that he was in a personal conflict with Soludo.
Obi said the relationship between their families was close and claimed that he and his wife were godparents to Soludo’s children.
“People think I have problem with Soludo, but they do not know that our families are very close. People do not know that I and my wife are godparents of Soludo’s children,” Obi said.
The claim was subsequently disputed by Soludo’s wife, Nonye Soludo.
In a statement issued by her media aide, Daniel Ezeigwe, she said Obi was not a godfather to any of the governor’s children and clarified the godparent relationships between the two families.
According to the statement, Nonye Soludo is the confirmation godmother to Obi’s daughter, while Margaret Obi, Peter Obi’s wife, is the baptismal godmother to one of Soludo’s daughters.
“Neither Mr. Obi nor Professor Soludo has served as a godparent to the other’s children,” the statement said.
Mrs Soludo said the clarification became necessary after Obi’s comments generated public enquiries, adding that it was possible he had misspoken.
The clarification triggered further reactions from supporters of Obi, who argued that the distinction between the two families’ godparent relationships did not alter the broader point about their closeness.
Mrs Soludo subsequently maintained that baptismal sponsorship is an individual relationship and reiterated that neither Obi nor Soludo had served as godfather to the other’s children.
Calls for Intervention
As the dispute continues, some Anambra citizens have called for a public debate between Obi and Soludo to establish the facts surrounding the state’s debt and financial position.
Public affairs commentator Uche Nworah also urged elders in the South-East to intervene.
“The escalating war of words between the Anambra State Government and former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, has reached a point where one begins to wonder: Are there no more leaders in Igboland who can step in and de-escalate the situation?” Nworah said.
He said the continued exchange over debt-related claims and counterclaims was becoming a source of concern and urged elders to encourage civility, restraint and reconciliation.
“There are bigger challenges confronting Anambra State, the South-East and Nigeria. The elders should urgently intervene, not to silence legitimate debate or scrutiny, but to encourage civility, restraint and reconciliation,” he said.
For now, the central disagreement remains the interpretation of the financial obligations associated with Obi’s tenure, while the separate dispute over the families’ godparent relationships has added another dimension to the increasingly public disagreement between the former governor and his successor.
Follow us on:
Author
