Anambra loan: Pressure from presidency won’t force Obi to withdraw – NDC chieftain

A chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, in Abia State, Uko Nkole, has said pressure from the Presidency will not force the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race.

Nkole made the statement while reacting to the ongoing controversy over loans allegedly obtained by the Anambra State Government during Obi’s tenure as governor.

The Anambra State Government recently released loan records which it said showed that Obi’s administration contracted eight external loans between 2007 and 2013, with an outstanding balance of about N127.37 billion as of June 30, 2026.

The development followed Obi’s earlier denial of claims that he left behind unpaid debts when he handed over power in 2014. Obi maintained that his administration cleared outstanding salaries, pensions, gratuities and verified obligations to contractors. He also said his government left more than N75 billion in savings.

Obi had challenged anyone with evidence that contradicted his position to produce it, saying he would stop his presidential campaign if the claims were established.

The Presidency subsequently weighed into the controversy, with the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, asking Obi whether he would honour his pledge to withdraw from the 2027 race if the allegations were proven.

However, Nkole dismissed the pressure, arguing that the issue would not force Obi out of the presidential contest.

He also accused Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s administration of providing information that could be used against Obi, while insisting that the latest controversy would not derail the NDC candidate’s political ambitions.

Nkole, who is the NDC senatorial candidate for Abia North, further alleged that the controversy was being used to weaken Obi ahead of the 2027 election.

He said Obi remained focused on his presidential ambition and that the allegations would be addressed by members of the former governor’s administration.

The controversy remains centred on the interpretation of Anambra’s historical loan records and whether liabilities recorded against the state should be attributed directly to Obi’s administration.