Peter Obi Takes On FG Over Bankruptcy Claim, Requests Disclosure of Inherited Finances

The Labour Party’s presidential candidate for the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has called on the Federal Government (FG) to reveal the assets and deficits inherited from the previous administration under ex-President Muhammadu Buhari. The call for transparency comes in response to claims by National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu that the current administration, led by President Bola Tinubu, inherited a financially distressed nation.

Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, emphasized the importance of accountability in governance in a series of posts on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter). He stated, “One major characteristic of responsible governance is transparency and strict accountability. This demands that the government disclose exactly the degree of deficit they inherited.”

President Tinubu, speaking from Mecca, Saudi Arabia, acknowledged inheriting both serious liabilities and assets from his predecessors. In light of this, Obi urged officials of the Tinubu government to disclose the specifics of their inheritance, asserting that such information is crucial for the public to understand the current state of the nation and its trajectory.

Obi drew parallels to the claims made by the previous APC government in 2015 against the preceding administration. He pointed out that despite these claims, the nation’s debt profile surged from N12.6 trillion in 2015 to N87 trillion in 2023 under their leadership. Obi highlighted the lack of improvement in key development indices such as education, health, poverty eradication, and security during the APC’s tenure.

In concluding his statement, Obi emphasized that Nigerians are keen to hear tangible steps for improvement rather than repetitive acknowledgments of the challenging situation. He urged the government to provide measurable and verifiable strategies to address the pressing issues faced by the nation.