The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has described the mission of its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and running mate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, as bigger than tackling erosion in Anambra State, accusing President Bola Tinubu’s administration of eroding Nigeria’s commonwealth through excessive borrowing and poor fiscal management.
NDC, in a statement by its National Presidential Campaign Council spokesperson, Dr Chiogo Constance Ikokwu, said the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket would prioritise prudent management of public resources, accountability and productive investment.
Reacting to Tinubu’s remarks on erosion in Anambra, the NDC questioned what had happened to the expected fiscal gains from fuel subsidy removal, despite increased revenue generation and continued government borrowing.
It also cited Obi’s financial record as Anambra governor, claiming he left investments worth about $500 million, including $156 million in dollar-denominated bonds, while contrasting this with Lagos State’s external debt when Tinubu left office in 2007.
The party further criticised the pension law enacted under Tinubu as Lagos governor, which provided lifetime benefits for former governors and deputies, arguing that Obi did not introduce a similar arrangement in Anambra.
While defending Obi’s record on erosion control, the NDC said his administration attracted the World Bank-supported Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) and implemented drainage and flood-control projects in several communities.
It warned that Nigeria risked deeper economic hardship if borrowing continued without corresponding improvements in public services and citizens’ welfare, insisting that the Obi-Kwankwaso project was aimed at halting what it described as the erosion of the nation’s commonwealth.
