A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Kenneth Okonkwo, has said he changed his position on claims surrounding former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi’s financial record after receiving what he described as fresh information from the state government.
Okonkwo, who was Obi’s spokesman during the 2023 presidential campaign, said he could no longer maintain some of the arguments he previously advanced in defence of the former governor because the facts available to him had changed.
The former Nollywood actor and politician made the disclosure during an appearance on Sunday Politics, a programme on Television Continental (TVC), where he said he was prepared to adjust his views whenever new evidence emerged.
“You know me, I’m a very passionate person in whatever I believe in. Let me tell you because I was misled,” Okonkwo said.
During the 2023 presidential campaign, Okonkwo had defended Obi against allegations that his administration left behind debts, unpaid salaries, pension liabilities and other financial obligations when he left office.
He recalled telling Nigerians at the time that Obi left Anambra without such liabilities, adding that he had encouraged people to verify his claims.
“There was a time I told Nigerians that Peter Obi was not owing anything, did not leave any debt, he was not owing any salary. No gratuity. No pension. And I said, go and verify,” he said.
However, Okonkwo said subsequent claims made by the Anambra State Government had changed his understanding of the matter.
He specifically referred to the state government’s position that Obi’s administration obtained loans and that some workers under the state-owned water corporation were owed salary arrears.
“The fact is Anambra State Government said he borrowed eight loans. The fact is that Anambra State said that at the water corporation, he was owing workers there, all the salaries, all the arrears. I cannot say the same thing that I said about Peter Obi in 2023,” he stated.
The remarks come amid an ongoing disagreement between Obi and the Anambra State Government over the state’s debt profile and financial obligations linked to previous administrations.
The controversy followed comments by the Anambra State Commissioner for Finance, Izuchukwu Okafor, who said the state was still servicing loans obtained under previous administrations, including those of Obi and former Governor Willie Obiano.
Obi has rejected the claims, maintaining that he left office without outstanding debts, unpaid salaries, pension arrears or unpaid obligations to contractors.
The former governor also stated that his administration left N2.1 billion in ecological funds for the state.
The Anambra State Government, however, disputed the claim, alleging that Obi left about $123.77 million in debtand saying it had no record of the ecological fund referenced by him.
The government later released documents relating to N363.38 million in salary arrears, which it said were inherited from the Obi administration.
Okonkwo, who currently serves as spokesman for the presidential campaign council of ADC presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, said his approach ahead of the 2027 election would involve greater examination of political records.
He explained that while he defended Obi during the 2023 election cycle, his role in the next election would be different.
“That’s why I said in 2023, I campaigned for them as the examination in chief. In 2027, it’s going to be a cross-examination,” he said.
The development adds another dimension to the growing political conversations ahead of the 2027 elections, where records of governance, accountability and public service delivery are expected to remain major issues in national debates.
