Politics
Fact-checking Obi’s claims on Channels TV
FORMER Anambra State Governor and 2027 Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Peter Obi, featured in an exclusive interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics hosted by Seun Okinbaloye on Sunday, July 26, 2026.
During the broadcast, he addressed key national issues, including his governance record and manifesto, insecurity in the country, the need for continued unity among the ethno-religious groups that make up the nation, and his growing popularity in the North.
He also made several claims regarding his past administration, foreign exchange reserves, exportation, election statistics, his overall administration performance, and his capability in the 2027 presidential election.
In this report, The FactCheckHub examines some of the verifiable claims made by the former governor and compares them with official records, statutory reports, and available data.
CLAIM 1
The Netherlands gets over 120 billion euros from the export of agricultural products every year.
FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is largely accurate but requires important context.
According to data from Statistics Netherlands (CBS) and Wageningen University & Research (WUR), the Netherlands’ total agricultural exports were valued at €126.9 billion in 2024. This total includes both agricultural products produced in the Netherlands and agricultural goods imported from other countries and subsequently re-exported.
The CBS data show that in 2025, agricultural goods produced in the Netherlands accounted for €88.4 billion, while €49.1 billion came from re-exports, bringing the total export value to €137.5 billion.
Therefore, Obi’s claim that the Netherlands gets “over €120 billion every year from the export of agricultural products” is broadly correct when referring to the total value of agricultural exports. However, the figure includes a substantial amount of re-exported goods and should not be interpreted as revenue generated solely from agricultural products grown or produced within the Netherlands.
It is also worth noting that the Dutch economy does not retain the entire export value. CBS estimates that the Netherlands earned about €49 billion in export revenues from agricultural trade in 2025 after accounting for imported inputs and re-export activities.
VERDICT
The claim is MOSTLY TRUE, although it lacks the nuance that a significant share of the reported export value comes from re-exports rather than products produced entirely within the Netherlands.
CLAIM 2
Ethiopia is making over $1bn from the export of coffee.
FINDINGS
According to Business Insider Africa, Ethiopia’s coffee export revenue has been on an upward trend for a few years now, going from $1.4 billion in 2023 to $1.43 billion in 2024.
This growth continued last year when export earnings jumped to $2.65 billion, before climbing to a record $3 billion during the previous fiscal year, which ended on July 7.
VERDICT
The claim is TRUE. This is because the figure is higher according to publicly available data.
CLAIM 3
Kenya is making half a $500 million from the export of flour
FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.
According to Tridge, an exchange platform that provides transactional details of cross-border trading of wholesale foods, as of 2023, Kenya ranked #49 in global exports of Wheat Flour. It accounts for approximately 0.21 per cent of the total global export value of Wheat Flour, with an export value of 13,928,639 USD. This figure was also corroborated by Wits.
The previous year’s exports were lower, with $774, 443 and $758, 868 in 2022 and 2021, respectively.
VERDICT
The claim is False. Data from Tridge and Wits show the figures are lower.
CLAIM 4
Obi claimed he left $150M in Anambra
FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is UNPROVEN.
It would be recalled that Obi handed over the leadership mantle of Anambra State to his successor, Willie Obiano, on March 17, 2014.
There have been several controversies surrounding the actual amount Obi handed over to Obiano. Obiano had denied inheriting $150 million after assuming office. However, there is no publicly available data or document that shows that Obi left such amount to his successor.
Data from Nigeria’s Debt Management Office (DMO) website revealed that as at December 2013, Anambra State, under Obi’s leadership, owed N3,025,797,046.67 in domestic debt and a total sum of $30,323,574.40 in external debt.
Although the former chairman of Diamond Bank, Alex Otti, who is now the state governor, confirmed in 2017 that Obi left $150 million in three banks. However, there are no independent public records to validate this claim.
VERDICT
The claim is UNPROVEN. There is insufficient publicly available evidence to conclusively verify that Obi left exactly $150 million in cash or a dedicated fund when he exited office.
CLAIM 5
Tinubu Government bought 300 billion to buy planes
FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is UNPROVEN.
Available reports confirm that the Tinubu administration acquired an Airbus A330 for the Presidential Air Fleet in 2024. However, the Federal Government did not publicly release a definitive purchase price.
Obi subsequently criticised what he described as ₦300 billion spent on a presidential jet, arguing that the funds could have been directed toward healthcare and other public services.
There is no publicly available official document showing that the government paid exactly ₦300 billion for the aircraft. However, there is evidence that the acquisition and associated costs could amount to a very large sum when converted to naira at prevailing exchange rates and when other costs are included.
VERDICT
The claim is unproven. Nigeria acquired a new presidential jet, but there is no publicly available evidence confirming Obi’s specific figure of ₦300 billion as the purchase cost.
CLAIM 6
South Korea has over $400bn in reserves.
FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is TRUE.
According to official data published by the Bank of Korea and financial tracking metrics from Trading Economics, South Korea’s foreign exchange reserves first crossed the $400 billion benchmark in 2018. As of June 2026, South Korea’s foreign reserves stood at $427.4 billion.
VERDICT
The claim is TRUE. Data from the Bank of Korea confirms that South Korea’s foreign exchange reserves stand at over $400 billion.
CLAIM 7
Obi claimed all the commissioners who served under him in eight years were Muslims or were from the North.
FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.
Obi’s full statement reads: “Most governors choose their ADC, who is the closest person from their home. My ADC is from Kaduna and is a Muslim. ADC was a Muslim, still a Muslim…All the commissioners that served with me in the eight years that I was in the office were Muslims. They may not actually be Muslims but from the North.”
During his eight-year tenure as governor of Anambra State, Obi’s executive cabinet members and commissioners were mainly indigenous Anambra indigenes and from the South-East region.
Reports by Vanguard and ChannelsTV, including cabinet reshuffles, list key commissioners such as Prof. Chinyere Stella Okunna (Budget & Economic Planning / Chief of Staff), Callistus Ilozumba (Works), Azuka Enemuo (Local Government), Dr. Michael Egbebike (Environment), and Peter Afuba (Justice). They were all from the South-East.
While Obi pointed out during the interview that his Aide-de-Camp was a Muslim and northerner, his assertion that “all the commissioners” who served under him were Muslims or Northerners is not correct, as aides-de-camp are not regarded as commissioners.
Meanwhile, speaking with The FactCheckHub, the national coordinator of Obidient Movement, Yunusa Tanko, clarified that the statement was a slip of tongue. He said Obi wanted to refer to his ADC who was a Muslim, not all the commissioners that worked with him.
“He is referring to the ADC that worked with him. It is in the public domain, and he has said it over and over again. The man is a Muslim from my own state, and we all know that the majority of Anambarians are Christians. Mr Peter Obi worked with Christians who are Anambarians. The person he is referring to is Mr Mohammed. I know him personally is a Muslim.
“If a Christian brother can take a Muslim brother to be behind him, to protect him, it speaks volumes. That is the quality in which Mr Obi is made of. He is someone who is detribalised. He doesn’t believe in tribalism; neither is he a bigot. He picked someone from Kano to be his ADC. It is a slip of tongue,” he clarified.
VERDICT
The claim as said by Obi is MISLEADING because records show that the commissioners who served under him in Anambra State were predominantly South-Easterners and Christians, not Northerners or Muslims. The statement would have been correct if he had said his ADC was a Muslim from the North without adding that all the commissioners under him were Muslims or from the North.
CLAIM 8
Obi claimed he won the South East zone with an average of 80 per cent in the 2023 election.
FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is TRUE.
According to the official results released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the 2023 presidential election, Obi won all five states in the zone.
A state-by-state breakdown of his performance in the South-East shows that Enugu had 91.4 per cent, Anambra had 95.2 per cent, Abia had 88.4 per cent, Ebonyi had 80.4 per cent and Imo had 77.1 per cent.
Analysis published by PRNigeria confirms that his victory across all five states in the zone comfortably averaged above 80 per cent.
VERDICT
The claim is TRUE; official INEC election data confirms that Obi secured 89.62 per cent of the overall vote share across the South-East, comfortably exceeding his 80 per cent claim.
Zainab Abdulrasaq ia a reporter and a fact-checker with The ICIR. She believes that accountable citizenship starts with an accountable government, which is why she highlights injustice and everyday struggles through her reporting, one story at a time. She adores reading and can be reached via zabdulrasaq@icirnigeria.org and @blackbookishgirl on Instagram/Medium
Nurudeen Akewushola is an investigative reporter and fact-checker with The ICIR. He believes courageous in-depth investigative reporting is the key to social justice, accountability and good governance in society. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 on Twitter.
