Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, and his immediate predecessor, Godwin Obaseki have engaged in a verbal battle over an alleged fraud of N96 billion of local government funds.
Okpebholo, at the weekend, revealed that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will prosecute some of the recently impeached Edo State local government chairmen indicted for looting the local government treasuries, running into over N95 billion.
Besides the local government chairmen, he said former governor Godwin Obaseki, leaders of the factional Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), among others, were also fingered in the alleged looting.
But Obaseki said the governor’s actions are a desperate attempt to justify an unconstitutional onslaught on elected council electives.
The governor, according to a press statement by his chief press secretary, Fred Itua, said this when he received the report of the Administrative Panel of Enquiry setup on December 18, 2024 to investigate the financial dealings of the impeached 18 local government chairmen in Edo State from September 4, 2023 to November, 2024.
Expressing satisfaction with the committee for the professionalism with which it carried out its duty, Okpebholo said, the days of financial recklessness and lack of transparency in public office were long over, as “Nigerians need to start demanding accountability from elected public office holders”, stressing that “it was the only way to fight corruption and ensure development.”
The governor expressed dismay at the findings of the report that implicated the impeached 18 local government chairmen, vowed to petition the EFCC on the findings of the report for immediate prosecution
“I want to thank you for a job well done. I carefully listened to the submission of the report. The truth is that the administration of former governor Godwin Obaseki took Edo people for granted. They took everything belonging to Edo people and channeled it for their personnel gains.
“A lot has happened. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) looted the treasury of the Local Governments and stole our collective partrimony, and nobody went after them or took action. This time, things are different. We will go after them and retrieve what they have stolen from Edo people.
“They will be made to pay for it. I will personally take this document to the EFCC and ensure that justice is done for this wrong done to Edo people,” he said.
Earlier, chairman of the panel, Barr. Solomon Imohiosen, while submitting its report and recommendations, noted that findings and forensic investigations uncovered that huge sums amounting to N96 billion was either mismanaged and/or diverted to private accounts.
But in a swift reaction, former governor, Obaseki, described the fraud allegation as another desperate attempt to justify Okpebholo’s unconstitutional onslaught on elected council electives.
Obaseki, through his media adviser, Osagie said, “We have read with disdain a statement by Monday Okpebholo alleging that the elected 18 local government chairmen in Edo State mismanaged N96 billion, in another of Okpebholo’s frantic efforts to justify his unconstitutional onslaught on the elected leadership of the third tier of government.
“What is most shocking about the statement is that Okpebholo appears to be completely oblivious of the fact that he does not have supervisory responsibility over the local governments and can therefore not set up any investigation of government officials that are elected into office just like him.
“As a matter of fact, these local government chairmen have a better claim to their democratic office than he, whose election stands on a knife edge, with the election petition tribunal preparing to deliver justice in the September 21, 2024 election, widely believed to have been rigged.
“Also advertising Okpebholo’s ignorance is his attempt, as usual, to drag His Excellency, Mr. Godwin Obaseki into his propaganda. Okpebholo should kindly note that Obaseki was never obsessed with control of local government funds during his tenure, as Okpebholo has shown himself to be in the last three months” he said.
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