Obaseki Fires Back, Says Probes Are Politically Motivated

 

Former Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, has described the ongoing probes into his administration by his successor, Monday Okpebholo, as politically motivated and a diversion from the challenges of governance.

In a statement released on Sunday by his media aide, Crusoe Osagie, Obaseki accused Okpebholo’s government of engaging in what he termed “meaningless probes” to mask its lack of direction and competence.

Earlier, Okpebholo, governor of Edo, constituted a 14-member asset verification committee to probe the administration of Obaseki, his predecessor.

Members of the committee will be sworn in on Tuesday.

Recently, the Edo governor also ordered a probe into the state civil service recruitment under Obaseki-led administration between May and November 2024.

Reacting to the development, Osagie, who spoke through his Principal said the “meaningless” probes embarked upon by the Okpebholo’s administration is an attempt to “distract from glaring incompetence and lack of direction”.

The media aide said Obaseki oversaw “one of the most transparent, accountable and prudent governments in the history of Nigeria”.

“Our attention has been drawn to a laughable and utterly ridiculous statement by the Monday Okpebholo’s administration setting up a 14-member state assets verification committee to probe the administration of his predecessor, His Excellency, Godwin Obaseki,” the statement reads.

“This is another in the list of the barrage of meaningless probes which the governor and his directionless government is embarking on since they got into Dennis Osadebey avenue through the back door.

READ: Okpebholo Probes Obaseki’s Administration

“From probing civil servants’ employment to probing ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), and probing vehicles and other assets of government, among others, the governor-select has continued to show that he is bereft of ideas and lacks a clear vision for the development of the state

“He has therefore resorted to these charades of empty probes to buy time and distract from his incompetence and unpreparedness for office.

“He should stop his futile and failed attempt to fool the people of Edo State who have already seen him for who he truly is: a politician out of his depth who has become a tool in the hands of his many godfathers who are thirsty for vendetta, having for long been denied access to the people’s patrimony by the immediate past government of His Excellency, Mr. Godwin Obaseki.

“It is on record that the Obaseki administration achieved an unprecedented level of transparency in governance, laying a solid foundation for fiscal discipline, which was why it was able to accomplish the numerous milestones recorded across various sectors of the state.

“So, we know what their plans are with the diversionary probes. It is just a smokescreen to mask the governor-select’s incompetence and unpreparedness for office, having come into power through a stolen mandate.

“We want to advise Okpebholo to focus on governance and improving the lives of Edo people rather than waste state resources masking his incompetence in meaningless probes.

“Edo people are watching and his short-span government which lasts until the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) reclaims its mandate duly given to it by Edo voters will be judged not by the noise it makes but by the impact it delivers.”