Peter Obi: I left $150m in Anambra treasury — no governor has matched my savings
Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), says he left $150 million in the treasury of Anambra state after serving as governor.
Obi spoke during Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme, where he addressed controversies surrounding his tenure as governor of the south-east state.
Obi, who contested the 2023 presidential election under the platform of Labour Party, said none of his successors in Anambra had saved up to 10 percent of the amount he left behind.
“Everybody wants to investigate Peter Obi. Seun, I left $150 million. Can any other person who finished here come and say where he left? Nobody asked me to save dollars,” he said.
Nigeria is a country that has become criminalised, that even those who are honest are now the ones who are suffering.
“The money I saved in Anambra State, if it was there today, it would have been almost getting to a billion dollars.
“There are other people. Show me another person who saved $15 million — 10 percent of what I saved.
The former governor criticised the “excessive” government spending, saying the cost of governance in Nigeria was one of the reasons people seek political office.
“There is too much waste in our governance. There is too much corruption. That is why people are fighting to go to office,” he said.
“Any country where people in office are richer than their businesses, there is something wrong. Anywhere where businessmen in the country see people in government as more important than them, that place is not working.”
The NDC presidential candidate added that he would reduce government expenditure if elected president.
We must shut down this waste and deal with the issues that will protect our people and serve our people properly,” he said.
“I would cut costs of governance. I’ve done it in the states. In my first four years of being governor, I used four 404 vehicle from beginning to the end.”
Obi, who was impeached as governor in November 2006 over allegations of gross misconduct and later reinstated on February 9, 2007, was re-elected in February 2010.
He left office in March 2014, handing over to successor Willie Obiano.
During the interview, he said a litany of court cases prevented him from conducting local government elections in Anambra in the early years of his administration.
The former governor also said he would not promise Nigerians uninterrupted electricity within four years if elected president.
His comment comes amid renewed debate over his achievements and political record in the south-east state as the 2027 presidential race gathers momentum.