The All Progressives Congress, APC, transition committee on Sunday said it did not invite the outgoing Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki to the inauguration of Senator Monday Okpebholo as the new governor of the state because the former had planned to frustrate the inauguration ceremony.
Senator Monday Okpebholo, the APC
candidate emerged as the governor-elect, to take over from the outgoing
governor Obaseki whose eight years of two tenures as governor would come to an
end on November 12, 2024.
Okpebholo defeated his closest rival Asue Ighodalo of the
Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and 15 other political party candidates at the
September 21, 2024 governorship election.
Prince Kassim Afegbua, a member of the APC transition committee in a statement made available to newsmen in Benin City, titled, “Obaseki and his lamentations”, noted that rather than sit down to plan the inauguration event as it is done in other climes, the outgoing governor was busy planting landmines on the path to smooth transfer of power.
Afegbua also denied the allegation by Governor Obaseki, that
the governor-elect has borrowed between N2 billion and N5 billion from the
almost N27 billion his government set aside for the payment of projects and obligations
for the inauguration.
Recall that Governor Obaseki had last Friday
while inaugurating the 10-man caretaker committee of the State’s chapter of PDP
stated that he as the governor of the state was not invited to the
inauguration.
According to him, during this holiday period, they will want
to spend as much money as possible to confuse the people. They are going to
struggle to change their perception.
“We have almost N27 billion to pay for projects and
obligations, but they have started blowing it, and they have gone to borrow
money for the inauguration which is going to cost them N2 to N5 billion. That
is the money they will first take from the treasury.
“They are doing an inauguration and the governor is not even
invited. It is like they are starting a brand new government and a brand new
State”, he said.
In its response, the APC transition committee described
Governor Obaseki’s remarks as generously laughable and self-indicting.
“Suddenly, Godwin Obaseki realizes the ephemerality of power
and now resorts to lamentations about an ongoing inauguration without extending
an invitation to him. We found this to be generously laughable and
self-indicting.
“In other climes, an outgoing governor or president
organizes the inauguration of the incoming, but for the painful loss of the PDP
at the election, Governor Obaseki and his co-travelers are doing everything
possible to frustrate the inauguration of the incoming Governor.
“Rather than sit down to plan the inauguration event as it
is done in other climes, Governor Obaseki is busy planting landmines on the
path to smooth transfer of power.
“From the transition committee to the inauguration
committee, despite all the cooperation we have extended to them, what we have
received in return is frustration and a deliberate plot to overburden the new
administration with all manner of misplaced government decisions.
“We frown at these dubious plots which are clear negations
of the standard procedures of power transfer the world over.
“Our inauguration team met with the Secretary to the State
Government, who later handed our team over to another Permanent Secretary.
“The said Permanent Secretary had nothing on her table. She
asked that our team should present an inauguration budget, and we declined
because we wouldn’t want them to accuse us of spending bogus funds for the
inauguration”, he added.
Afegbua noted that when the committee reported to the
governor-elect that the state government had demanded for inauguration budget
and that they declined, he (the governor-elect) took over the responsibility of
funding the inauguration from his resources.
“He has also cut down on the activities to make the entire
ceremony a bit moderate. He doesn’t believe in an ostentatious display of
resources when a lot of Edo people have been impoverished by Governor Obaseki.
He’s of the view that the inauguration shouldn’t be an elaborate event.
“We have not borrowed a kobo from anywhere. We are not
Governor Obaseki and his profligate self. We are conscious of our
responsibilities to make life better for the average Edo person”, he stated.
Afegbua, however, raised the alarm that most government
vehicles have been allegedly carted away by government officials.
He also alleged that there was only one functional vehicle
in the Edo State Government House.
“Why should we borrow money because of the inauguration? Do
you know as we speak that most government vehicles have been carted away by
government officials?
“There is only one functional vehicle in Edo state
Government House. Every vehicle has been carted away. Is that a government that
is interested in inauguration? he queried.
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