In a June 2025 interview on Arise TV, former Anambra State governor Peter Obi asserted that he left office in March 2014 “without owing one contractor, supplier, pensioner, or public servant,” and even left enough funds to cover three months of salaries .
However, Debt Management Office (DMO) data show that, as of December 31, 2013, Anambra State was carrying $30.3 million in external debt and approximately ₦3.03 billion in domestic debt .
These figures were officially registered before Obi’s exit on March 17, 2014, and reflect obligations that contradicted his claim of a debt-free departure .
The discrepancy appears to stem from Obi’s statement focusing on contractual liabilities—such as outstanding contractors or unpaid personnel—versus more formal public debts, such as loans and bonds .
Because his language dismissed all forms of debt, including formal state obligations, the claim is rated MISLEADING by fact-checkers .
Obi’s assertion that he left Anambra State owing “nobody” does hold for operational and contractual debts, but overlooks the formal financial obligations documented by the DMO—making his overarching claim misleading.
