The All Progressives Congress has taken a swipe on the Peoples Democratic Party for accusing the APC-led government in Edo State of financial mismanagement, stating that it “lacks the moral justification” to question the governor’s expenses.
The Edo State Chairman of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, had alleged that the State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, spent over N400m for a trip to the United States of America, adding that the party had documents to back up its claim.
However, the State Chairman of the APC, Anselm Ojezua, in statement made available to newsmen in Benin, said that the document containing the alleged travel expenses of the governor showed that the expenditure was authorised by the appropriation law and passed by the state house of assembly.
Ojezua, who explained that the World Bank had commended the governor’s administration for its transparency in the award of contracts and other government expenditure, noted that the PDP ought to have appreciated the state government for replicating same “by putting up a memo which he claimed he saw unlike his PDP that does not follow due process when it comes to expenditure.”
The state chairman told his counterpart in the PDP to, rather, worry about his party’s (PDP) “scandal as regards the $9.3m smuggled into South Africa by the PDP led government,” rather than “making a mountain out of a mole hill.”
Ojezua said, “Orbih is making mountain out of a mole hill because from the documents he exhibited, you could see that the document was a memo emanating in accordance with the public service rules, indicating compliance with the law as it relates to public expenditure.
“It is also evident that the expenditure itself is authorised from the appropriation law from the Edo state House of Assembly. At all times it is expected that governance will always carry cost attached to it, that is the reason why provisions are made for various items in the budget.
“In this respect, there is no expenditure that was made under the authority of the governor that was outside the budget. Let me say also that neither Orbih nor the PDP had the legal justification to criticize the governor. Neither Orbih nor PDP had the moral or legal justification with regards to financial profligacy because even now as we speak, the South African government is investigating an attempt by a private individual in Nigeria to smuggle in $9.3m from Nigeria to South Africa, and the Nigerian Government, the PDP government at the Federal government had admitted complicity in that matter.
“And the attempt to transfer that money from Nigeria reportedly to make purchases is in violation of the public procurement Act and without the knowledge of South African Government. The aircraft that carried that currency is a private aircraft, even when the Presidency has several aircrafts in its hanger. But that money was carried by a private aircraft owned by a pastor in Nigeria who is not a public servant.
“So, I believe that the presidency is only owing up because a pastor has been caught with the money that is why the government is now owing up and all these have been done in violation of Nigerian law and all international laws relating to the carriage of currency from one country to another.
He also alleged that a chieftain of the PDP in the state, who was reported to have harboured the sum $50m, had been apprehended by an anti-graft agency in the country.
He said, “Secondly, a PDP chieftain in Edo state who is more or less a kinsman of Orbih was reported to have been arrested by EFCC and $50m was found in his account. A former Governor of CBN has alleged in Nigeria that we cannot account for $20m under the watch of PDP government.
“As we speak, the purported audit the President said he ordered up till now no report has been submitted. Finally Orbih should be reminded of the circumstances of which he was removed from NNPC reportedly over financial issues.
“In the face of all these, I submit that Orbih does not have the qualification to question the financial discipline of Oshiomhole who has been certified by the World Bank to have conducted governance, fiscal governance in a very transparent and disciplined manner resulting in the partnership that the Edo state government now enjoys with the World Bank.” Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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