RismadarVoice Reporters
September 19, 2026
Former Anambra State Governor and the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has denied authoring a letter purportedly addressed to the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Ugochukwu Achebe.
The document, which circulated on social media on Saturday, was dated September 19, 2026, and titled “The Future of Ndigbo is Bleak.”
It purportedly addressed the ongoing dispute over Anambra State’s finances, including claims by the state government about loans linked to Mr Obi’s administration.
The letter called for the state’s financial records to be made available for public scrutiny and urged that the issues be resolved through documentary evidence.
However, Mr Obi said the document was fabricated and that the signature attached to it was forged.
“My attention has been drawn to a fake letter circulating on social media, purportedly written by me to His Majesty, Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Ugochukwu Achebe, the Obi of Onitsha, concerning political and financial matters in Anambra State,” Mr Obi said in a statement posted on Saturday.
“This document is entirely false, malicious, and a fabrication by mischievous elements aimed at misleading the public. Furthermore, the signature appended to the letter is completely forged.”
He urged the public and media organisations to disregard the document.
“My focus remains steadfastly on issues of national development, accountability, and building a better future for our people – never on cheap fabrications,” he said.
The controversy comes amid an ongoing disagreement between Mr Obi and the Anambra State Government over the state’s financial position at the end of his tenure as governor in 2014.
Mr Obi has maintained that he left office without outstanding salaries, pensions or obligations to contractors who had completed their projects and processed their documents.
The Anambra State Government has disputed the claim, saying eight external loan facilities contracted during Mr Obi’s administration still had outstanding balances.
The state government said the loans, which it said were worth $123.77 million when contracted, had an outstanding balance of $92.35 million, equivalent to about ₦127.4 billion, as of June 30, 2026. The government attributed the figures to the Debt Management Office.
The loans were reportedly contracted for projects including malaria control, agricultural development, healthcare, education and erosion management.
The government has argued that the existence of outstanding balances on the facilities contradicts Mr Obi’s assertion that he left Anambra without debt.
Mr Obi has rejected the government’s characterisation of his financial record and challenged the authorities to provide evidence to support their claims.
The dispute has since generated a public debate over the distinction between loans contracted during an administration and the amount outstanding on those facilities years after the administration left office.
