Nigerians lambast Soludo after release of alleged records of Obi’s debts as Anambra governor

​Soludo was described as an “educated illiterate”, while other netizens accused him of playing “bitter politics”.

​By Kehinde Okeowo

​Nigerians have berated the Anambra State Governor, Prof. Charles Soludo, following the release of alleged records of loans left unserviced by the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, when he served as governor of the state.

​The governor came under heavy criticism on Wednesday after his Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Dr Law Mefor, shared the purported records on social media.

​It all started when the Anambra State Commissioner for Finance, Izuchukwu Okafor, alleged during a appearance on the Voice of Ndi Anambra podcast on Facebook on Monday that the state’s monthly federal allocation was still being deducted to service loans incurred during the tenures of Obi and Obiano.

​He said: “It’s on record that this administration has not borrowed a kobo from any commercial bank since the inception of this administration.”

​Clarifying who incurred the debt, Okafor added: “These loans were borrowed during the time of Peter Obi and Willie Obiano, the past governors.”

​Reacting to the claims, the NDC chieftain insisted that his administration left no outstanding debt in Anambra when he vacated office.

​Obi further faulted the remark, arguing that his administration never owed any salary, pension, or contractor during his tenure.

​“As at the day I left office, I was not owing any salary, pension, or gratuity that the Anambra State Government was supposed to pay,” he countered.

​He further argued: “I was not owing any supplier or contractor who had executed their job and had their documents processed — not one. The day I left office, I paid what was due to be paid. I wasn’t owing any contractors.”

​However, the Anambra State Government doubled down on its earlier claim on Wednesday and released what it termed the public debt records of Obi while he was in office as Anambra governor.

​ALSO READ: Obi faults Anambra govt debt claims, insists ‘I paid what was due to be paid’

​According to the statement, his administration left outstanding loans as well as arrears of salaries, pensions, and gratuities inherited by subsequent administrations, amounting to N127 billion.

​The government further noted that the administration of Governor Soludo had cleared about N22 billion in inherited gratuity arrears owed to retired state and local government employees and teachers.

​Mefor went on to share an analysis of the alleged unpaid debts on his official X handle, @AnambraNewMedia.

​After the statement made the rounds online, it elicited a backlash from a section of X users, with some describing the incumbent Anambra governor as an “educated illiterate” and accusing him of playing “bitter politics”.

A netizen identified as @Danhenchi on X wrote: “Are you guys really this stupid? Or is this a movie script? Why don’t you tell us the exchange rate at the time Peter Obi was governor? Did Peter Obi spend this money in 2026? Envy can really make people try to defend the indefensible, no matter how it makes them look.”

​Another netizen, @Whiteswizzy, said: “Soludo is an educated illiterate. He’s fighting Obi because of Tinubu. He has no evidence of his claim.”

​@Justice4U8 added: “If @PeterObi sends these people to jail now, they will start crying. Now you’re publicly going crazy because Governor Soludo wants to be minister after governor. You that he is using to publish rubbish… I hope you can definitely defend all this rubbish you rushed to publish.”

​Another Nigerian, @KellyValentyne, commented: “Soludo left the Dubai-Taiwan Anambra he promised Anambra people to meddle in propaganda and blackmail. It is a shame that I once believed he would deliver; this truly shows that education is not wisdom and leadership has nothing to do with your educational qualification.”

​Meanwhile, @cisero81 queried: “Soludo, you are a professor, for goodness’ sake. Could you concentrate on governance and stop this stupidity and bitterness? Was Anambra money missing or stolen under Obi? What is the source of your bitterness and misery, exactly?”