Barely 48 hours to the change of baton of power in Edo State, there are indications of bickering in the camps of the incoming governor, Senator Monday Okpehbolo and the out-going governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki.
Saturday Telegraph reliably gathered that the road to transferring of power to the incoming APC government has become bumpy for the two parties, as the APC has accused the outgoing government of alleged cover-up and shady financial transactions.
According to a source who pleaded anonymity, the Committee has failed to address the important things like government earnings and spendings.
He alleged that Obaseki’ government has fleeced Edo State of so much resources and vowed that Obaseki will be prosecuted the very moment he leaves office.
He said that so much has come into the State coffers through IGR, grants and loans which Obaseki cannot account for and that the APC has the data and will be releasing it at the right time, once Obaseki hands over power on Tuesday.
He said. “That Committee is one of the Obaseki the more you look the less you see. They never wanted to reveal the governor’s financial recklessness.
“Obaseki has fleeced Edo State of so much resources. And I want to assure you that he will be prosecuted immediately he leaves office.”
“The Government has avoided telling the Committee what we want to know. Which is how much the State earned in the last eight years.
“You know he had avoided using civil servants , but consultants all through the eight years.
Recall that the APC Transition Committee headed by former Deputy Governor of the State, Hon Pius Odubu has on October 22 picked hole on the activities of the Joint Transition Committee over government inability to provide specific documents for review beforehand.
According to APC Transition Committee Secretary, Hon. Patrick Ikhariale, “The truth remains that we have had series of communications, both oral and written… No meeting could have been proposed for today because in our letters to them, we have insisted that anything we want to do, they must send to us advance copies of whatever we want to do 24 hours before the meeting.”
Ikhariale emphasized that the documents provided so far did not meet their expectations, as they sought specific information on monetary issues, expenditures, grants, and NGOs, among 23 areas of interest.
“What has been supplied to us so far… is showcasing the achievements of the Obaseki regime. That’s not the focus of the request we made,” he said.
Reacting, the Edo State Government lambasted the 24 -Member APC Transition Committee for being ‘inquisitive’, rather than focus their mandate.
Former Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare said the APC Committee was making inquiries which he said was outside their mandate of transiting to them what the out going government has done and that some of their inquiries would be contained on the hand over notes of Governor Godwin Obaseki to the Governor-Elect, Sen. Monday Okpebholo.
Nehikhare said, “We are a transition committee and not an inquisitive committee that they are trying to make themselves look like, the global practice is to present what we have done, where we are and what has not been done.
“They claim we are only showcasing what we have done but these are the same people that said Obaseki did not do anything, we are supposed to transit all that we have done and yet to do to them and some of the other details will be in the hand over notes of the governor
“During our first joint meeting, we did announce how we will do the presentations to them and some other questions they are asking are all embedded in these presentations,” he added.
