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The Anambra State government has released what it termed the public debt records of the presidential candidate of Nigeria Democratic Congress NDC, Mr Peter Obi, while he was governor.

In a press statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Value Reformation, Dr Law Mefor, and titled Gov Peter Obi and Record of Public Debt in Anambra: Facts Beyond Propaganda and Lies, the state government insisted Obi left behind debt as governor, both in domestic loans and unpaid pensions and gratuity.

The statement read: “Our attention has been drawn to a viral post by a former Governor of Anambra, HE Mr. Peter Obi, CON, on what he described as Phantom Debts and Ecological Loan Fallacy, which presumably was in response to some statements in a podcast by the Anambra State Commissioner for Finance.

“We understand that this is a campaign season and candidates often go to extremes to impress. If not that the said post was in his personal handle, we would not have believed that he could have made such wild, and verifiably false claims. As a government, we are focused 100% on delivering dividends of democracy to millions of Ndi Anambra. However, when a former governor of the state makes some outlandish claims about the state of public debt he left behind and especially when the present government has been spending billions of Naira servicing the same debt, a responsible government owes the public a response in the interest of transparency and accountability.”

Stating what it described as the fact, the state government clarified that: “HE Peter Obi Spent about $4.05 billion (equivalent to NS.4 trillion at current exchange rate) in 8 years and also contracted US$ 123.77million in external debt alone which our government has so far paid billions of Naira in service payments.

“Let’s be clear: hardly any government in the world has zero debt stock. The issue is not whether or not borrowing is good: no business or government can scale significantly without some debt. Yes, we converted the audited and published expenditures using the average official exchange rates during the eight years of Peter Obi and they sum to about USS$4.05 billion.

“At the current official exchange rate, it would sum to about N5.4 trillon and he surely governed to the best of his ability. Of course, no government will ever finish the work of development.”

“As of the date HE Peter Obi left office (17th March 2014), there were and still are 8 different external borrowings his administration left for his successors.

“As of June 30, 2026, the total balance of such loans left by HE Peter Obi at the official exchange rate stood at N127.4Billion. Here we summarise the latest report from the Debt Management Office (DMO) on Anambra’s debt status (as of June 2026), indicating the dates the loans were signed and the balance remaining.

“Evidently, HE Peter Obi borrowed for malaria, erosion control, education, healthcare, etc. So far, this government pays hundreds of millions of Naira every month to service these debts and we are not complaining. It is good for Anambra once we can show the impacts.”

The state government further stated that as at when Obi left office, he left behind a state without any functioning urban or rural water schemes; increasing insecurity and increased poverty, ostensibly dead public schools and dead public hospitals with grossly inadequate teachers and medical personnel (indeed 44% of all communities in Anambra, 78 out of 179) did not and still do not have any public primary schools (and this administration is only beginning to close the gap).

They insisted he also left a decrepit infrastructure with huge urban slums, etc.

“Only about 27% of Anambra residents patronised public health institutions because of poor quality and non-functionality, which he even admitted abandoning public health system at the recent NBA conference. We are convinced that many Ndi Anambra would not have minded if HE Peter Obi had borrowed to fix public schools and hospitals, water schemes, infrastructure, or even to reduce poverty and insecurity. Debt, especially for bankable projects and human capital development, is justifiable. So, HE Peter Obi should stop being irked as if all debt is bad.”

The statement also said Obi owed verified salaries, gratuity, and pension to retired teachers and staff of Water Corporation, saying his statement on clearing all inherited arrears of pensions, salaries and gratuities were patently false, but it would not want to get into the debate between him and his predecessors regarding which arrears were paid by them or by him.

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Troops of the Joint Task Force North West, Operation FANSAN YAMMA, have rescued 31 abductees and neutralized two terrorists, including a suspected kingpin, during separate operations in Katsina and Kebbi states.

The military also arrested two suspected terrorists and recovered ammunition, a motorcycle, camouflage clothing and other items during the operations conducted on September 14 and 15, 2026.

The Media Information Officer of the Joint Task Force North West, Lieutenant Colonel Aliyu Danja, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday, September 16.

According to the statement, troops in Katsina rescued 10 kidnap victims, comprising three males and seven females, after responding to distress reports from Unguwan Daudu and Unguwan Chibauna communities in Funtua Local Government Area.

The troops reportedly launched a hot pursuit of the fleeing terrorists and engaged them in a gun battle, forcing them to abandon the victims.

Among those rescued was an infant.

The victims were subsequently taken into military custody for necessary assistance and further action.

21 Victims Rescued in Kebbi

Also on September 14, troops operating in Kebbi State responded to a distress call following the abduction of civilians from Fafala Village in Kangiwa Local Government Area.

Acting on intelligence, the troops launched a fighting patrol towards Fafala and Dandikwa, where they reportedly engaged the terrorists in a heavy exchange of gunfire.

The terrorists were forced to withdraw from the area, allowing the troops to continue their operation and rescue 21 kidnapped victims.

The rescued civilians were later reunited with their families.

Terrorist Kingpin Killed in Katsina

The following day, September 15, troops in Katsina reportedly foiled an attempted terrorist attack on communities in Matazu and Kankara local government areas.

Acting on intelligence, the troops moved towards a suspected terrorist hideout and engaged the group with superior firepower.

The military said two terrorists were killed during the encounter, including Abbah Alhassan, whom it identified as a known terrorist kingpin.

Other terrorists reportedly escaped into the surrounding bush.

Troops recovered 10 rounds of ammunition, a motorcycle, a cutlass, camouflage clothing and suspected Indian hemp from the area.

Two Suspects Arrested

In another operation on September 15, troops arrested two suspected terrorists around the Yantumaki general area of Dan Musa Local Government Area of Katsina State.

Preliminary interrogation reportedly indicated that the suspects were associated with a suspected terrorist kingpin identified as Mannori.

The suspects remain in military custody while investigations continue.

The Joint Task Force said the operations demonstrate its continued efforts to rescue kidnapped civilians, disrupt terrorist networks and restrict the movement and operational freedom of armed groups across its area of responsibility.

The task force also commended residents for providing security-related information and urged members of the public to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious movements and activities to the nearest security agency.

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By Gloria Ikibah

The National Assembly has transmitted the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026 to the Houses of Assembly of the 36 states for consideration and approval.

The transmission, carried out on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, marks the next stage in the ongoing constitutional alteration process and was undertaken pursuant to a directive from the leadership of the National Assembly.

The Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, Esq., said the Bill was transmitted to the state legislatures in compliance with the provisions of Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

Under Section 9, a bill seeking to alter the Constitution cannot be passed by either chamber of the National Assembly unless it is approved by resolutions of not less than two-thirds of the Houses of Assembly of the 36 states.

The state legislatures are therefore required to consider the proposed constitutional amendments in accordance with their respective legislative procedures and communicate their resolutions to the National Assembly after completing their deliberations.

Although the Constitution does not stipulate a specific timeframe within which state Houses of Assembly must respond to a constitutional alteration bill, the National Assembly said the state legislatures are expected to communicate their decisions within 30 days of receiving the Bill.

The National Assembly, however, stressed that the 30-day period is an administrative timeframe and not a constitutional deadline.

According to the Clerk, the timeframe is intended to promote an orderly, coordinated and timely conclusion of the constitutional amendment process while respecting the constitutional independence of the state legislatures.

What the Constitution Requires

Nigeria’s Constitution sets a deliberately high threshold for constitutional amendments because changes to the country’s supreme law require approval beyond the National Assembly alone.

In addition to the required approval by at least two-thirds of the state Houses of Assembly, Section 9 prescribes other legislative requirements depending on the particular constitutional provisions being altered.

The process generally involves the introduction and passage of the alteration Bill by the National Assembly before it is transmitted to the state legislatures for consideration. The resolutions of the state assemblies are subsequently communicated to the National Assembly for the next stage of the process.

The requirement for state-level approval gives the 36 Houses of Assembly a constitutionally recognised role in determining whether proposed amendments can proceed.

The National Assembly said it recognises this responsibility and respects the independence of the state legislatures in considering the Bill.

National Assembly Seeks Coordinated Process

In the statement, the Clerk said the transmission was intended to facilitate the orderly discharge of the state assemblies’ constitutional responsibilities rather than interfere with their legislative processes.

“The National Assembly remains committed to ensuring that the constitutional alteration process is conducted in strict compliance with the Constitution,” the statement said.

It added that the process would be guided by due process, institutional cooperation and respect for the legislative responsibilities of all tiers of the legislature.

The National Assembly will await the resolutions of the 36 state Houses of Assembly before taking the subsequent steps required under the Constitution.

The transmission of the Sixth Alteration Bill comes amid continued efforts to amend aspects of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution, a process that requires cooperation between the federal and state legislatures because of the constitutional threshold for altering the nation’s supreme law.

The statement was signed by Kamoru Ogunlana, Esq., Clerk to the National Assembly.