Okpebholo and Obaseki Clash Over N8bn Allegations

Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, and his predecessor, Godwin Obaseki, have exchanged harsh words over the claim of N8bn being taken from the state funds just two weeks before Obaseki left office.

Okpebholo mentioned in an interview with an online TV station that Obaseki took N8bn from the N20bn that was given to Edo State two weeks before he started his own term.

He said the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission helped to save the remaining N12bn. He stated, "Two weeks before my swearing-in, N20bn was released to Edo State. Within one week, they removed N8bn. If not for the EFCC, I would not have saved N12bn."

The governor went on to say that Obaseki left behind a lot of debts, including unpaid salaries.

"There were lots of debts. Obaseki didn’t pay salaries for over a year in Ambrose Alli University. We are paying it.

“In Ekiadolor, I have paid over N3bn out of N5.8bn. MOWAA is a story for another day. When you hear the story for MOWAA, you will cry for Nigeria," he added.

On the other side, Obaseki, through a statement from his media aide, Crusoe Osagie, on Sunday, accused Okpebholo of telling many lies about important political figures and making unproven claims against them.

Obaseki said Okpebholo has no real development achievements to show for his 24 months in office, despite receiving trillions of naira.

"We wish to note that it is totally disingenuous and mischievous to attempt to deflect public attention from his deplorable performance as governor by telling unconscionable lies about Obaseki and others whom he knows enjoy the goodwill of the people.

"We state, without equivocation, that the Obaseki administration neither diverted any funds nor left any outstanding emolument debts, as he claimed in his interview.

"As they say, talk is cheap. Anyone can make baseless claims, particularly when shielded from prosecution by the constitutional immunity enjoyed by governors.

"As for the Museum of West African Art, apart from the senseless closure of a world-class institution that placed not only Edo State but Nigeria as a whole enviably on the global art and culture map, there is no other story about the project to be left for ‘another day.’

"Instead of relying on trickery to deflect public attention from the clear underperformance of his administration so far, we encourage Okpebholo to begin making an honest effort to deliver tangible dividends of democracy to the people of Edo State during the less than two years remaining in his administration," the statement concluded.