Anambra Govt dares Peter Obi to quit presidential race, releases salary arrears document [PHOTO]

The Anambra State Government has challenged the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Peter Obi, to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race.

The state government threw the challenge in a statement posted on its official X account on Tuesday, accusing Obi of breaking key campaign promises on debt and timely payment of workers’ salaries.

It recalled that Obi had vowed to quit the presidential race if it was proven that he left Anambra in debt and also recalled that Obi had pledged, while governor, to resign if workers were not paid on time.

The state government claimed that he broke both promises.

“Obi vowed to quit the presidential race if proven he left Anambra in debt. As governor, he vowed to resign if workers weren’t paid on time. He broke both. He left office in 2014 with heavier arrears.”

The government accompanied the post with a letter dated April 25, 2006, and allegedly signed by Chuks Iloegbunam, then Chief of Staff to Obi.

The letter, titled “GUBERNATORIAL PREROGATIVE,” made a “special appeal” to Obi to settle salary arrears owed to workers of the Anambra State Water Corporation.

It listed three reasons for the appeal, including that the corporation’s monthly salary bill stood at about N15 million and that its workers had last been paid in February.

“Since it is Your Excellency’s unchanging desire to achieve a better future for our children and children’s children, please, Sir, bear in mind that officials of the Water Corporation also have children who are looking to your compassionate leadership. If the President listens with compassion to your appeals on behalf of the children of Anambra State, I am 200 percent sure that you will hearken to the cries of the children whose parents work for the Water Corporation and end their ordeal. Thank you most sincerely for that.

“The monthly salary of the Water Corporation comes to something around N15 million every month. Because you have a very busy schedule, I appeal to you to please include the Water Corporation in the league of Government parastatals that are paid through subventions. In this way, the workers will not come to Your Excellency’s office every month to distract your attention on account of unpaid salaries,” parts of the letter read.