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Former Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki has accused his successor, Senator Monday Okpebholo of already setting up excuses for his inescapable, spectacular failure during his short tenure in office.
In a statement to Naija News by his Media Adviser, Crusoe Osagie, the former governor said Okpebholo is aware of the inevitable failure awaiting his administration due to his incompetence and unpreparedness for office.
Osagie claimed that since assuming office, Okpebholo has done nothing except hop from one project of his predecessor to another to pose for photos.
He said 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.
Obaseki’s aide noted that without a plan, vision, or agenda for the development of the State or its people, Okpebholo is gradually running the State aground.
He said: “There is an impending financial crisis in the State as its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) is set to nosedive from N8 billion to N2 billion monthly, as a result of the financial paralysis caused by turf wars over revenue collection by thugs he hired and empowered during the last governorship election. 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.
“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, among others.
“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 reminded Okpebholo that he remains the governor of Edo State, pending the outcome of the ongoing judicial process challenging his declaration as the winner of the September 21 governorship election, which was adjudged as one of the most flawed and manipulated elections in the history of Nigeria.
He, however, stated that until that decision is overturned, Okpebholo is the one sitting in the office of the governor.
“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.
“We urge the general public to disregard his lies. The statements are blatant fabrications, and there are no such debts owed. 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, contrary to the false claims being spread by the clueless governor-select, Monday Okpebholo, and his media hirelings,” he said.
