Fresh questions are emerging over former Anambra State Governor and Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, presidential candidate Peter Obi’s claim that he left the state without outstanding financial obligations, following the release of a document detailing a N473 million settlement for salary and pension arrears.
The Anambra State Government released details of a 2024 approval for the first tranche of payments to former workers, pensioners and next of kin linked to the defunct Anambra State Water Corporation and Anambra State Environmental Protection Agency.
The memo, circulated by Anambra State New Media on Thursday, September 24, 2026, and signed by the then Head of Service, Lady Theodora Okwy Igwegbe, stated that the outstanding obligations had remained unresolved for 14 years.
It followed an out-of-court settlement between the state government and the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees, AUPCTRE.
Under the settlement, N473 million was approved as the initial payment in 2024, while a further N500 million was to be addressed subsequently.
The document also indicated that AUPCTRE had agreed to release the N473 million garnished from a Fidelity Bank account linked to Anambra State’s Statutory Revenue Allocation, subject to the payment being processed through the state payroll system.
The approval was subsequently endorsed, with the Acting Director of Accounts directed to forward it to the Accountant-General for implementation.
The disclosure adds to the ongoing dispute over Obi’s financial record as governor of Anambra. Obi has maintained that he left office in 2014 without outstanding salary, pension or gratuity obligations, while the state government has released records it says show otherwise.
However, the N473 million memo does not by itself establish that the entire liability accrued during Obi’s tenure.
Determining when the individual salary and pension obligations arose would require payroll records, financial documents and the underlying settlement agreements covering the relevant periods.
The development therefore provides evidence of a long-standing financial obligation involving two former state agencies, but its precise connection to the period of Obi’s administration remains a matter requiring further documentary verification.
The controversy also highlights the broader challenge of determining a government’s financial position solely from headline debt figures, as outstanding salaries, pensions, contractual commitments, court settlements and other liabilities can form part of a state’s overall financial obligations.
The N473 million approval consequently adds another documented element to the continuing debate over the liabilities inherited by successive administrations in Anambra State.
