Barely forty-eight hours after the Supreme Court affirmed his election, Edo State governor, Senator Monday Okpeholo, on Friday announced that a commission of inquiry will be set up to probe the immediate-past administration of Mr Godwin Obaseki.
Okpeholo disclosed this while addressing party leaders, youths, market women, civil servants, professional bodies and other groups at a victory parade held on Friday, July 11th, 2025 at the Government House in Benin City.
Governor Okpebholo and his deputy, Rt. Hon. Dannis Idahosa were welcomed back to the state by their supporters upon their return from Abuja after the Supreme Court verdict which affirmed the victory of the governor, his deputy and the All Progressive Congress (APC) at the September 21, 2024, governorship election in the state.
Addressing the crowd of supporters, Governor Okpebholo thanked God for his victory, and declared that it was time to work, promising that in the next two years, Edo people will know that they have a governor.
He also revealed that the Obaseki-led administration used consultants to run the affairs of the state while also accusing the immediate-past administration of looting the state treasury.
Okpebholo further revealed that his administration, while accessing the documents of EdoGIS, discovered that a consultant was hired, paid N6 billion and additional N2 billion for “ordinary software.”
He added that his administration has developed its own software and has sent the consultant packing.
“I directed training of our own people who are now handling the job. We have sent the consultant away from the State, saving money to develop Edo State.
“Our civil servants are well trained. We have the best brains in the State, but Godwin Obaseki used consultants instead of utilising the human resources in the State. We are saving money today as a Government because we are using the civil servants to do the jobs consultants were formerly doing.
“We are just about eight months in office, but by the time we are two years in office, Edo people will know they have a Governor who is ready to work for the interest of the people.”
He thanked President Bola Tinubu for standing his grounds and ensuring that the right thing was done.
The Governor further acknowledged President Tinubu’s position in ensuring that the people of Edo State enjoy the dividends of democracy.
Governor Okpebholo assured Edo people that his administration would scrutinize activities of the previous administration in its eight years.
“I will open the books to check the financial dealings and how Obaseki governed Edo State in the last eight years. A university in this State received N47 million under Obaseki’s administration, while he paid consultant N51 million. This was not good enough. They wanted to continue with this act, but God helped us to push them out.
“Since I came into the office, I have not sacked anybody, but rather continue with the civil servants I met in the office. The Head of Service during Obaseki’s administration is still working with me. So also with a lot of Permanent Secretaries in the civil service,” he noted.
He vowed that officials of the past administration will be interrogated on how they governed Edo people in the last eight years.
“We will set up a Commission of Inquiry to look into the books and dealings of the previous administration. We will open interrogation to check their records.
“They have finished fighting us, and now I am ready to fight back and ensure that all those that cheated Edo people in the last eight years are all brought to book,” he said.
The deputy governor, Dannis Idahosa, who was also excited over the Supreme Court ruling, commended Governor Okpebholo for helping the party to win at various stages of court cases, stating it is now time to be focused and work for Edo people.
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