Former Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki has criticized the decision of the state’s current administration, led by Governor Monday Okpebholo, to investigate his tenure.
Grassroots Parrot reports that Okpebholo on Sunday approved the formation of a 14-member State Assets Verification Committee to investigate Obaseki’s administration. The committee is set to be sworn in on Tuesday, according to a statement from the government.
Reacting through his media aide, Crusoe Osagie, Obaseki described the probe as a “smokescreen” aimed at masking what he called the “glaring incompetence” of the Okpebholo administration.
Osagie labeled the move as a diversionary tactic by a government struggling to deliver meaningful governance.
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“Our attention has been drawn to a laughable and utterly ridiculous statement by the Monday Okpebholo administration setting up a 14-member state assets verification committee to probe the administration of His Excellency, Godwin Obaseki,” Osagie said.
He went on to accuse the current government of being “bereft of ideas” and claimed the probes were an attempt to distract from its lack of vision and preparedness.
Osagie further defended Obaseki’s tenure, describing it as one of “unprecedented transparency” that laid a foundation of fiscal discipline. He also accused Governor Okpebholo of being influenced by “many godfathers” seeking retribution for being sidelined during Obaseki’s administration.
In the statement, Osagie also referred to Okpebholo’s administration as a “short-span government,” predicting that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) would reclaim its mandate.
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“We advise Okpebholo to focus on governance and improving the lives of Edo people rather than waste state resources masking his incompetence in meaningless probes,” Osagie stated.
The development has sparked mixed reactions among Edo residents, with some awaiting the outcome of the committee’s work while others question the necessity of the probe.