Probe Obaseki’s financial dealing, APC transition committee urges Okpebholo

Edo APC Transition Committee on Monday recommended the institution of enquiry into the finances of the state under the outgoing administration led by Godwin Obaseki.

The 25-member committee headed by a former deputy governor, Pius Odubu, noted that the outgoing government didn’t provide audited financial statements published or unpublished.

The committee also asked the new administration to carry out a complete review of all Memoranda of Understanding on the management of the Central Hospital and Stella Obasanjo by the outgoing government.

It also recommended that all the local and foreign debts incurred under Obaseki must be accounted for, pointing out that even the procurement agency in its report to the transition committee indicted the government.

The committee noted, “All employment carried out in recent past by the outgoing administration be cancelled, while Okpebholo has to investigate the true ownership of the Ossiomo Power Plant and Radisson Blu Hotel as well as the Museum of West Africa Art with a view to knowing the state’s equity in these companies as the outgoing government didn’t provide information on this.

“We also demand that the new administration should carry out a comprehensive review of the world bank funded EdoBest programme and that a probe be instituted to uncover its rather ‘opaque’ operations. All major contracts issued by the state government under the Ministry of Roads and Bridges should be reviewed as they appear not to have followed due process, including the payment advance awarded to the contractors.

“The procurement agency indicted the government in its own report to the Transition Committee hence we have advised the new governor to take a critical review. The ICT ecosystem should be streamlined as there appears to be a duplication of duties.

“The outgoing government didn’t provide audited financial statements published or unpublished hence the committee is advising the government to institute an enquiry into this. The government couldn’t account for the number of teachers in the state hence we demand a proper teacher head count, “the transition committee declared.

Recall that on October 14, 2024, the APC set up a Transition Committee made up of 25 members chaired by the former deputy governor of Edo State, Dr Odubu, to interface with the outgoing government for a seamless transition.

After three weeks of assignments, meetings, interactions, engagements, and analyses of the documents presented to the committee, the Odubu-led committee came out with the recommendations above.