RismadarVoice Reporters
September 17, 2026
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has said Peter Obi’s record and public claims will face closer scrutiny ahead of the 2027 presidential election, as controversy deepens over the former Anambra governor’s financial record in office.
Keyamo made the remarks in a post on X on Thursday while reacting to the continuing dispute between Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, and the Anambra State Government.
The minister rejected suggestions that repeated public discussion of Obi amounted to an obsession, arguing instead that presidential candidates should expect their records and statements to be examined.
Keyamo alleged that some of Obi’s claims were not sufficiently challenged during the 2023 election campaign and said he expected greater scrutiny ahead of 2027. His characterisation of Obi’s previous statements as false remains Keyamo’s political claim, rather than an independently established finding.
“I see some suggestions that everyone is ‘obsessed’ about Peter Obi because we are always talking about him. I am sorry, but they miss the point,” Keyamo said.
ANAMBRA, OBI DISPUTE FINANCIAL RECORDS
Keyamo’s comments come amid competing claims between Obi and the Anambra State Government over the financial position of the state when he left office in March 2014.
The state government says eight external borrowings linked to Obi’s administration remained outstanding after his tenure, with the balance valued at about ₦127.4 billion as of June 30, 2026. It says the loans were connected to projects including malaria control, erosion management, education and healthcare.
Obi disputes the state government’s account. He maintains that when he left office, his administration owed no outstanding salaries, pensions or gratuities and had no unpaid obligations to contractors for completed and duly processed projects.
The former governor has also maintained that more than ₦2.13 billion was left in a First Bank account connected with ecological interventions, including the Oko and Umuchiana erosion project.
The Anambra State Government has challenged that account, disputing both the classification of the bank account and Obi’s claim concerning the funds.
The competing accounts have intensified political debate over Obi’s eight-year tenure as governor as attention turns towards the 2027 presidential election.
Keyamo maintained that examining the records and claims of presidential contenders should be regarded as political scrutiny rather than evidence of an obsession with any particular candidate.