Edo Governor Obaseki Accuses APC of Misusing State Funds and Borrowing Billions for Inauguration

Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of borrowing between N2 billion and N5 billion to fund the inauguration of the incoming administration.

Speaking at the inauguration of a 10-member caretaker committee of the State’s PDP in Benin City, Governor Obaseki stated that nearly N27 billion, reserved for ongoing projects and obligations by his government, had already been accessed by the new administration. He criticized this expenditure, expressing concern that these funds were being used during a holiday period to create confusion and shift public perception.

Obaseki further lamented that his administration was excluded from the inauguration ceremony, indicating that the incoming government was treating the event as the start of a completely new regime.

Senator Monday Okpebholo of the APC, who defeated the PDP’s candidate, Asue Ighodalo, in the September 2024 gubernatorial election, is set to be sworn in on November 12, 2024.

Governor Obaseki reassured the PDP that he would remain committed to the party and provide guidance, emphasizing that they would reclaim what he called a stolen mandate for the sake of democracy in Nigeria. He stressed that if the APC retained the governorship, it could signal the erosion of democratic values in the country.

PDP’s candidate, Asue Ighodalo, urged party members to prepare for a challenging legal battle to reclaim the mandate. He outlined that responses to petitions were expected in the coming days, with the pre-hearing phase anticipated to begin by late November.

Meanwhile, the APC in Edo State has accused Obaseki’s administration of misappropriating N14 billion out of N24.6 billion recently deposited in the state’s account. The party also claimed that Obaseki had sought and secured approval for three supplementary budgets since January 2024, including a N450 billion budget passed just before the September election.

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