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The 2027 presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has resurfaced a 2017 affidavit in which he gave detailed explanations of funds, investments and other financial matters relating to his tenure as Governor of Anambra State.
Obi, who governed Anambra from 2006 to 2014, swore to the affidavit at the Supreme Court Registry in Abuja on September 26, 2017, in response to questions raised by the South-East chapter of the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) and published in the media.
In the document, Obi addressed allegations concerning funds allegedly left behind for his successor, Willie Obiano, as well as questions relating to security votes, foreign investments, infrastructure projects and campaign financing.
On the Federal Government's Ecological Fund, Obi stated that his administration left N2.139 billion in an Anambra State Government consolidated account as of March 17, 2014.
He said the money represented the N2 billion received from the Federal Government, together with accrued interest, and was retained for the incoming administration to tackle environmental challenges, particularly erosion.
Obi also stated that N4.909 billion received by the state under the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) had been set aside in a dedicated account for future infrastructure projects, including water supply in Awka, Onitsha and Nnewi.
On education, he said his administration left N1.782 billion in one Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) matching-grant account and a further N2.101 billion in another account to meet the state's educational obligations for 2015.
He further disclosed that N3.048 billion had been set aside for Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) projects, while another N1.194 billion was reserved for local government programmes, bringing the total under the cited MDG accounts to N4.242 billion.
Addressing the widely circulated claim that he handed over N75 billion in cash and investments, Obi said the figure was correct and properly documented.
He also explained that $156 million in long-term foreign currency investments had been placed with Fidelity Bank, Diamond Bank and Access Bank, with $56 million, $50 million and $50 million respectively.
According to him, the investments were intended as future savings for Anambra State and, if still intact, could have appreciated to about $200 million at the time of his response.
On security votes, Obi rejected allegations that he and his wife had received huge sums from the state government, saying the entire security vote expenditure during his eight years in office was below N25 billion.
He said the expenditure included support for security agencies, more than 500 vehicles, reconstruction of the police headquarters and other security-related projects.
Obi also denied allegations that he spent N7 billion on behalf of Willie Obiano during the 2013 governorship campaign, saying he did not spend any money on Obiano's behalf.
He argued that if his objective had been to obtain N7 billion, he would have taken the money while still leaving more than N70 billion in cash and investments for the state.
On foreign direct investment, Obi listed several companies, including Intafact Breweries, Innoson, Orange Drugs, Golden Oil, Krisoral and UAC Feeds, as investments that came into Anambra during his tenure.
He also explained his administration's involvement in the rehabilitation of federal roads, saying approval had been obtained before the state undertook projects for which it subsequently sought refunds from the Federal Government.
On the proposed Umueri airport project, Obi said his administration's involvement was limited mainly to acquiring land and paying compensation while working with Orient Petroleum.
He said the state later withdrew its interest after an assessment indicated that the project would take an excessively long period to recover its investment and after the Ministry of Aviation declined approval.
Obi concluded the affidavit by urging the CLO to extend its scrutiny beyond his administration and successor to other governors across the country, arguing that such inquiries should contribute to improving the quality of leadership in Nigeria.
The affidavit, dated September 26, 2017, therefore provides Obi's own account of the financial position of Anambra State and the decisions taken by his administration before he left office in March 2014.
