Edo Govt, Group Disagree Over Alleged Use Of State Funds For Campaign

A pressure group, Edo People’s Advocacy Organisation of Nigeria has accused the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration of funding the Asue Ighodalo election campaign with local government area funds, calling on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to do a forensic audit of the councils’ finances to unravel the alleged fraud.

But the commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Hon Monday Osaigbovo has denied the allegation saying the opposition should focus on campaigning for their candidates and leave Ighodalo alone.

The group laid the allegation in a petition to the Benin Zonal Office of the EFCC, which was signed by the coordinator, Comrade Agbogun Monday and the secretary, Odeh Johnson.

The petitioners were received by the head, Public Affairs, Benin Zonal Office of the EFCC, Williams Oseghale who reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to zero tolerance for corruption and promised that the petition would be handled professionally.

The group said, “While other states’ local government councils across the country are carrying out developmental projects, Edo State councils are allegedly busy using public funds to continue the third term bid of Emperor Obaseki by funding the Asue Ighodalo campaign.

“We hereby demand that the EFCC conduct a forensic audit of our eighteen local government areas in Edo State to recover looted and diverted funds.

“That the council chairmen be invited to show the record of the last four months’ expenditure immediately so as to recover looted fund channelled for funding Obaseki’s ‘third term’ bid.”

When contacted on phone, Osaigbovo said the local government areas were battling to pay the new minimum wage and could not have been diverting public funds for political campaigns.

“Our local governments are struggling to pay salaries; they are trying to pay their pensioners because of the increase in the minimum wage. Local government total salaries used to be a little above N1 billion but now it is over N1.4 billion. Are those the people that can fund somebody’s election?

“Every chairman and councillor can be working for the PDP and its candidate but definitely not using the council funds so they should face their campaign. Did Asue get his nomination using council funds? He went round the 192 wards before he got the party’s ticket. So, the allegation is false.

“Before now, they accused us of withholding their funds, that has failed and they have now come up with funding Asue’s campaign. It is all false,” he said.