The Governor Monday Okpebholo-led government of Edo State is set to prosecute former Governor Godwin Obaseki, some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders in the state and former local council chairmen over allegations of Council treasuries in excess of over N95 billion.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor and made available to newsmen in Benin on Sunday.
According to the statement, the governor said that when he received the report of the Administrative Panel of Enquiry set up to investigate the financial dealings of the “impeached 18 local council chairmen in Edo State from September 4, 2023, to November 2024.”
The governor, while expressing dismay at the report’s findings, vowed to petition the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on the findings of the report for immediate prosecution.
The statement quoted Okpebholo saying: “Nigerians need to start demanding accountability from elected public office holders. It is the only way to fight corruption and ensure development.
“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 the Edo people for their gains.
“We thank God for helping us to change the narrative to benefit the Edo people. We also thank the President of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, because, without his support, we would not be witnessing the development we are experiencing in Edo today.
“A lot has happened. The PDP looted the treasury of the local councils 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 the Edo people.”
Earlier, the panel Chairman, Solomon Imohiosen, while submitting the report and recommendations to Okpebholo, noted that findings and forensic investigations uncovered that huge sums amounting to N96 billion were either mismanaged and/or diverted to private accounts.
Meanwhile, yesterday, Media Adviser to Obaseki, Crusoe Osagie, described the fraud allegation as “another desperate effort to justify Okpebholo’s unconstitutional onslaught on duly elected council chairmen in Edo”.
Osagie, in a statement made available to newsmen in Benin, said that Okpebholo appears to be oblivious to the fact that he does not have supervisory responsibility over the local councils, and could therefore not set up any investigation of government officials that are elected to office just like him.
