The Anambra State Government has released a 2024 out-of-court settlement document as fresh evidence in its dispute with former governor and Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, presidential candidate Peter Obi over alleged unpaid salaries and other financial obligations from his administration.
The state government shared the document on Wednesday through its official X account, claiming that the record challenged Obi’s position on whether his administration left behind unpaid obligations when he left office.
The document, titled “Terms of Settlement,” was signed on February 6, 2024, between the Anambra State Government and the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service, Technical and Recreational Services Employees, AUPCTRE.
The settlement concerned issues involving the defunct Anambra State Water Corporation and the Anambra State Environmental Protection Agency, ANSEPA.
The state government presented the agreement as evidence in its ongoing argument over the financial position inherited from Obi’s administration. It alleged that the settlement showed that outstanding salary-related obligations connected to the water corporation remained unresolved after Obi left office.
The government said the document formed part of its response to Obi’s earlier position that he did not leave behind unpaid salaries, pensions, gratuities or other financial liabilities when he completed his tenure as governor.
The latest disclosure is part of an ongoing political disagreement between the Anambra State Government and Obi over his record during his time as governor.
The state government had previously questioned Obi’s claim that he left Anambra without debt or unpaid financial obligations. It also referred to Obi’s reported promise to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race if it could be established that he left the state with outstanding debt.
Obi has rejected the allegations and maintained that his administration inherited financial arrears from previous governments.
The former governor has also said his administration took steps to settle historical gratuities and arrears accumulated over several years, with the amount involved running into more than N35 billion.
The disagreement has continued as the 2027 election approaches, with the Anambra government and Obi presenting different accounts of the state’s financial position during and after his tenure.
The newly released settlement document is now being used by the state government to support its position in the dispute, while Obi continues to maintain that his administration made efforts to clear inherited financial obligations rather than leave them unpaid.