The immediate past governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, some People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leaders and former local government chairmen, may soon be prosecuted as the panel set up by Governor Monday Okpebholo to investigate the alleged N95 billion fraud, has indicted them for allegedly “looting the local government treasuries of over N95 billions.”
A statement yesterday by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua, and made available to newsmen in Benin, said the governor made the revelation when he received the report of the Administrative Panel of Enquiry set up to investigate the financial dealings of the “impeached 18 Local Government Chairmen in Edo State from September 4, 2023 to November, 2024.”
Recall that after assuming office on September 12, 2024, the governor on December 18, 2024, set up an Administrative Panel of Enquiry to investigate the financial dealings of the 18 local government chairmen, who were suspended.
Receiving the report, the governor noted that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) would prosecute all those involved in the alleged crime.
Okpebholo, while expressing satisfaction with the committee’s professionalism, declared that the days of financial recklessness and lack of transparency in public office were long over.
He added: “Nigerians need to start demanding accountability from elected public office holders. It was the only way to fight corruption and ensure development.”
The Governor, while expressing dismay at the findings of the report, vowed to petition the EFCC on the findings of the report for immediate prosecution.
Okpebholo said: “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 channelled it for their personal gains.
“We thank God for helping us to change the narrative to benefit Edo people. We also thank the President of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, because without his support, we would not be witnessing the kind of development we are experiencing in Edo today.
“A lot has happened. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) looted the treasury of the local governments and stole our collective patrimony, 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.”
Earlier, Chairman of the panel, Solomon Imohiosen, while submitting the report and recommendations to Okpebholo, noted that findings and forensic investigations uncovered that huge sums amounting to N96 billion was either mismanaged and/or diverted to private accounts.
Reacting, the media adviser to ex-Governor Obaseki, Crusoe Osagie, yesterday said the fraud allegation was another desperate effort to justify Okpebholo’s unconstitutional onslaught on duly elected council executives.
Osagie in a statement 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
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“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.”
He continued: “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.
“We are forced to, by this statement, inform Okpebholo that there are limits to his powers as governor, and if he believes there are financial infractions in a separate tier of government from his own, he should simply inform the relevant agencies such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) to carry out their constitutional responsibilities. Okpebholo needs to be reminded that he is neither the Inspector-General of Police nor the Chairman of the EFCC.”
He added: “We urge all Edo people and Nigerians to ignore the lies and falsehood propagated by Okpebholo in his statement and to rest assured that His Excellency Godwin Obaseki, who is clearly the target of Okpebholo’s witch hunt ran the most transparent government in the history of Edo State and had no authority over local government funds at any time during his eight years in office.”
