A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Kenneth Okonkwo, has said that he was misled on the disputed debt records of Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), during his tenure as governor of Anambra.
Okonkwo made the remark while speaking on ‘Sunday Politics’, a programme on Television Continental (TVC).
He pointed to recent statements from the Anambra state government, adding that the disclosures have left him reconsidering some of his stance on Obi before the 2023 general election.
Okonkwo, who currently the spokesman for the presidential campaign council of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, the ADC presidential candidate for 2027.
He played the same role for Obi during the last general poll, often defending the former governor’s records with characteristic fervour, while challenging Nigerians to fact-check his claims.
On Sunday, however, Okonkwo said he could no longer stand by some of the claims he tendered on Obi in the face of new information concerning the latter’s stint in Anambra.
“You know me, I’m a very passionate person in whatever I believe in. Let me tell you because I was misled,” he said.
“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.
“I’m not a man that stands on my own misunderstanding. When I see the facts, I agree.
“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.”
Okonkwo also recalled how he previously defended Obi’s family over claims about the cost of a wristwatch allegedly worn by President Bola Tinubu’s son.
“There was a time they figured out that Tinubu’s son was wearing a watch worth up to N135 million,” he said.
“I ran out on television and I said nobody from Peter Obi’s family can ever wear such a thing when people are dying in poverty. I stuck my reputation on it. Can I still say that today?”
He added that his position on Obi’s records has now changed.
“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,” Okonkwo added.
His remarks come on the heels of lingering dispute between the Anambra state government and Obi over the debt allegedly left behind by the former governor.
The controversy began in mid-September when Izuchukwu Okafor, the commissioner for finance in Anambra, said the government is still repaying loans taken by previous administrations, including those of former governors Obi and Willie Obiano.
Obi would later counter the commissioner, saying he had no outstanding debts in the south-east state when he left office.
He said his administration never owed any salaries, pensions, or contractor payments during his tenure, adding that he left N2.1 billion ecological fund for the state.
But the Anambra government pushed back days later, saying Obi left $123.77 million in debt as of the time he concluded his tenure, and that there was no evidence of the ecological funds he claimed to have bequeathed.
The government later released official documents relating to N363.38 million in salary arrears inherited from the Obi administration.
Obi served as governor of Anambra from March 2006 to March 2014, but his first term was interrupted by impeachment in November 2006.
He returned to office after the court overturned the impeachment and served until March 17, 2014, when he handed the reins to Obiano.
News4 years ago
Privacy5 years ago
News5 years ago
News5 years ago
Opinion5 years ago
News6 years ago
Sports5 years ago