Former Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has accused his successor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, of setting up excuses to cover what he described as an inevitable and monumental failure in governance.
Obaseki, through his Media Adviser, Crusoe Osagie, alleged that Okpebholo’s administration lacks both competence and preparedness for the responsibilities of office.
“Since assuming office, Okpebholo has done nothing except hop from one project of his predecessor to another to pose for photos,” Osagie said in a statement. He went further to criticize the new governor’s priorities, describing them as superficial and lacking in substance.
“From commissioning a boutique owned by a known thug to ravenously chasing after white elephant projects like the very laughable and ill-thought-out aircraft assembling project in Benin, the governor has proven himself utterly clueless about governance and administration,” he added.
Osagie warned that the state is on the brink of a financial crisis due to what he described as Okpebholo’s mismanagement. He claimed that the internally generated revenue (IGR) of Edo State is set to plummet from N8 billion to N2 billion monthly, attributing the decline to turf wars over revenue collection by thugs allegedly empowered by the governor during the last election. “There is an impending financial crisis in the state as its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) is set to nosedive. His gross mismanagement of the economy is already negatively impacting businesses and ordinary citizens, who are finding it increasingly difficult to survive on a daily basis,” Osagie stated.
The former governor’s aide also accused Okpebholo of fabricating claims about inherited debts in an effort to shift blame for anticipated failures. “In an attempt to cover up this glaring, monumental failure in barely 30 days in office, Okpebholo has begun making excuses with false claims about non-existent debts, knowing full well that in the coming months, he will be unable to meet obligations to workers, pensioners, and contractors,” Osagie said.
He further alleged that Okpebholo is attempting to scapegoat his predecessor for future challenges. “He is therefore setting up his predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Godwin Obaseki, as his fall guy by concocting excuses and fabricating lies against the immediate past governor, so that when the failure inevitably comes, he can easily point the finger at Obaseki,” Osagie stated.
Osagie reminded the public that Okpebholo’s position as governor is still being contested in court following the controversial September 21 governorship election, which he described as one of the most flawed and manipulated elections in Nigeria’s history. “He remains the governor of Edo State pending the outcome of the ongoing judicial process challenging his declaration as the winner of the election,” Osagie said.
He insisted that the Obaseki administration left the state in a financially stable position, refuting claims of debt. “The Edo State Government was in a strong financial position when it handed over to the Monday Okpebholo-led government. We had a balance of about N30 billion in the state account. The state was financially stable, and there were no such debts,” he said.
Osagie called on Edo residents to hold Okpebholo accountable and to dismiss what he described as lies and excuses. “No excuses will be accepted by the people of Edo State for his failure to pay salaries or pensions as and when due. No one will entertain his lies about the decline in IGR or his inability to govern the state effectively,” he concluded.
The statement has sparked further political tension in Edo State, with citizens closely monitoring the unfolding governance and legal issues surrounding the new administration.
