A fresh political controversy has emerged between the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) following a dramatic change in position by Kenneth Okwonkwo, who previously served as a prominent spokesperson for Peter Obi during the 2023 presidential campaign.
Okwonkwo, now a chieftain of the ADC and spokesperson for the presidential campaign council of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, said he could no longer repeat some of the assertions he made in 2023 about Obi's financial record as governor of Anambra State.
Speaking on TVC’s Sunday Politics, Okwonkwo said he had been “misled” when he defended Obi against allegations that his administration left debts and other financial obligations behind.
“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.”
Okwonkwo added that his position had changed because he believed additional information had subsequently emerged.
“I cannot say the same thing that I said about Peter Obi in 2023, because I now have more information.”
His comments come amid a renewed dispute over the financial obligations allegedly inherited from Obi's administration, which governed Anambra until March 2014.
The Anambra State Government has recently alleged that eight external borrowing facilities associated with Obi's administration had a combined contracted value of about $123.77 million, with an outstanding balance of approximately $92.35 million, which the state valued at about ₦127.4 billion as of June 30, 2026. The government has also alleged that outstanding liabilities included salary and pension-related obligations involving workers of the state-owned Water Corporation.
However, the figures and their interpretation remain contested.
Obi has rejected the allegations, maintaining that he left office without owing salaries, pensions, gratuities or contractors whose projects had been completed, certified and verified. He has also disputed the characterisation of the loans attributed to his administration and challenged the state government to substantiate its claims.
The former governor has further maintained that he left more than ₦2.1 billion in an ecological fund for his successor, Willie Obiano, saying the money was specifically reserved for an erosion-control project.
The Anambra Government has disputed that account as well, saying a certified bank statement it obtained did not support Obi's description of the account as an ecological fund account or the amount he claimed was deposited there.
The controversy has therefore moved beyond a simple political exchange, with questions now focusing on how contracted loans, outstanding balances, inherited liabilities and funds held at the point of transition should be interpreted.
Okwonkwo's latest intervention is particularly significant because of his previous role as one of Obi's public defenders during the 2023 election.
Explaining his changed position, he said he was willing to reassess his previous statements when presented with new information.
The ADC chieftain also drew a distinction between the roles he played in the last presidential election and the coming 2027 contest, saying that while he campaigned for Obi in 2023, his approach in 2027 would involve much closer scrutiny.
The development adds another dimension to the increasingly competitive political environment ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with Obi now representing the NDC while Okwonkwo is aligned with the ADC.
For now, the central issue remains unresolved: whether the financial obligations identified by the Anambra State Government should properly be regarded as debts left by Obi personally, loans contracted during his administration for specific projects, or liabilities whose repayment obligations extended beyond his tenure.
What is clear, however, is that Okwonkwo no longer stands by the categorical assurances he gave Nigerians about Obi's financial record in 2023.
His latest statement has consequently reopened one of the most politically sensitive questions surrounding Obi's record as Anambra governor — and placed his former campaign ally among those now demanding greater scrutiny of the former governor's record.
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