Victor Umeh, former National Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, says Peter Obi, the former Governor of Anambra State, left a N185 billion debt for his successor, Willie Obiano.
Umeh, who is the Director-General of the Obiano re-election campaign organisation, said this in Awka, the Anambra State capital on Friday.
He said that Obi’s claims that he left about N75 billion in the State treasury as at the time he left office were mere political and face-saving rhetoric, noting that whatever the former governor left were in bonds, some of which will mature in 2030 or beyond.
According to Umeh, Obi collected N50 billion as security vote for the eight years of his reign without proper account of what he did with it.
Umeh also attacked the All Progressives Congress, APC, for making what he described as unguarded statements and boasting that the party will capture Anambra State come November 18.
“We’ll make our campaign issue-based, because APGA has a good market to sell,” Umeh said.
“The success of Anambra is embedded in APGA. Our party has a character that is not found any other place; the character in allowing an elected governor to work without interference.”
However, Valentine Obienyem, the media aide to Peter Obi, released a press statement denying Umeh’s allegation and urging the Obiano to desist.
“Recently, a House member said it publicly that Obiano collects 1.2 billion Naira per month as security vote and his wife collects N240m as well,” Obienyem stated.
“Since then, Anambra people have been seeking explanation. Rather than Chief Victor Umeh clarifying the matter, he is more interested in bringing Obi into the matter to confuse the people.
“We have said it always that Obi took the average of N250 million as security vote and he has been consistent in saying that he can account for the usage.
“It was out of his security votes that he bought over 600 vehicles for the police, paid N1 million each to First Class graduates, among others.
“It is wrong for Gov. Willie Obiano to give money to greedy Anambrarians to lie against Obi. Let him come out boldly and challenge Obi on that and Obi will give account of what he collected and how he used it, unlike him who cannot account for over 75 billion Naira handed over to him.
“As for the debt of N185billion, I hope it is not a deliberate creation to retire the N75 billion bequeathed him. As at the time Obi left office, he did not owe a single contractor.
“We challenge Umeh and Obiano to publish the names of contractors Obi owed.
“How can people, out of pure desire to bring down a man of stellar qualities, include unexecuted contracts as debts? As we speak, he is yet to execute any of those contracts.”
The race to the November 18 Anambra State governorship election is becoming more interesting by the day.
Recently, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, published the names of 37 candidates that will contest in the election.
They include the incumbent governor, Obiano of APGA, Oseloka Obaze of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who is the preferred candidate of Peter Obi and Tony Nwoye of the APC, who contested under the PDP during the last election.
Others are Osita Chidoka, former Corps Marshall of the Federal Road Safety Corps and later, Minister of Aviation, whose party is the United Progressives Party, UPP, and Yule Edochie, a Nollywood super star and son of veteran actor, Pete Edochie.