We’ve Not Borrowed for Inauguration, Okpebholo Picking Bills for Ceremony, Says Afegbua

Follow

( 0 Followers )

X

Follow

E-mail : *

Follow Unfollow

The transition committee of the incoming All Progressives Congress (APC) administration in Edo State has debunked the allegation by the outgoing governor, Godwin Obaseki, that it had borrowed billions of Naira to fund activities for the inauguration of Senator Monday Okpebholo as governor which would climax with his swearing-in on Tuesday November 12.
Insisting that the committee had not borrowed “a kobo from anywhere”, the APC said despite cooperating with the state government, all they got in return was frustration as Governor Obaseki and his co-travellers were doing everything possible to frustrate Okpebholo’s inauguration, such that he decided to fund it from his personal resources.
Recall that Governor Obaseki had on Friday lamented that the APC had already started to deplete the money he had set aside for payment of contractors. According to him, “We have almost ₦27 billion to pay for projects and obligations, but they have started blowing it, and they have gone to borrow money for the inauguration which is going to cost them ₦2 to ₦5 billion. That is the money they will first take from the treasury.”
But a statement on Sunday by Prince Kassim Afegbua, a member of the transition committee, titled “Obaseki and His Lamentations” poohpoohed this claim, and detailed how the government had frustrated the party. Afegbua described as “generously laughable and self-indicting”, the complaint by the outgoing governor that he was not invited for the inauguration, positing that “Rather than sit down to plan the inauguration event as it is done in other climes, Governor Obaseki is busy planting landmines on the path to smooth transfer of power”.
The committee accused officials of the outgoing government of having carted away most government vehicles leaving only one that is functional and wondered if this showed a government that was ready for inauguration.
The full statement read:
“Suddenly, Godwin Obaseki, realises the ephemerality of power and now resorts to lamentations about an ongoing inauguration without extending an invitation to him. We found this to be generously laughable and self-indicting. In other climes, an outgoing governor or president organises the inauguration of the incoming, but for the painful loss of the PDP at the election, Governor Obaseki and his co-travellers are doing everything possible to frustrate the inauguration of the incoming Governor.
“Rather than sit down to plan the inauguration event as it is done in other climes, Governor Obaseki is busy planting landmines on the path to smooth transfer of power. From the transition committee to the inauguration committee, despite all the cooperation we have extended to them, what we have received in return is frustration and deliberate plot to overburden the new administration with all manner of misplaced government decisions. We totally frown at these dubious plots which are clear negations of the standard procedures of power transfer the world over.
“Our inauguration team met with the Secretary to the State Government, who later handed our team over to another Permanent Secretary. The said Permanent Secretary had nothing on her table. She asked that our team should present an inauguration budget, and we declined because we wouldn’t want them to accuse us of spending bogus funds for inauguration.
“When we reported to the GOVERNOR-ELECT, he opted out of such an arrangement and took over the responsibility of funding the inauguration from his own personal resources. He has also cut down on the activities to make the entire ceremony a bit moderate. He doesn’t believe in an ostentatious display of resources when a lot of Edo people have been impoverished by Governor Obaseki. He’s of the view that inauguration shouldn’t be an elaborate event.
“We have not borrowed a kobo from anywhere. We are not Governor Obaseki and his profligate self. We are conscious of our responsibilities to make life better for the average Edo person. Why should we borrow money because of inauguration? Do you know as we speak that most government vehicles have been carted away by government officials? There is only one functional vehicle in Edo state Government House. Every vehicle has been carted away. Is that a government that is interested in inauguration?”