Edo State Governor-elect, Senator Monday Okpebholo has alleged that the outgoing governor of the state, Godwin Obaseki, has absconded from Edo State.
The Governor-Elect, in a statement made available to newsmen on Sunday, said Edo people are worried by Obaseki’s reckless statements and urged him to evaluate his state of mind.
The statement, signed by Godspower Inegbe, raised the alarm regarding the whereabouts of Obaseki, who he claimed reportedly fled Benin City, the Edo State capital, using a disguised bus.
He alleged that Obaseki chased out everyone from the Government House on Friday before escaping to a yet-to-be-known location more than 72 hours before his official departure from office.
Okpebholo further said Obaseki was making false claims to shift attention away from his sinister plans to leave the country through the land borders.
“As of Friday, 8th of November, the whereabouts of Obaseki are unknown. He has chased everyone out of Edo State Government House. He has abandoned governance in the State, and he is on the run.
“He has escaped through the road out of Benin. He did not pass through the airport. If he is as popular as he claims, why did he not use the airport to escape? Instead, he hired a bus and disguised himself while escaping from Edo State.
“Obaseki is trying to push out these narratives in order to distract the public. His antics will not work. We know his plans, and we will continue to expose his shenanigans to the Edo people,” the statement read.
Obaseki, on Saturday, claimed that Senator Okpebholo did not invite him to his inauguration, slated for next Tuesday.
“According to the unpopular outgoing governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo stole the mandate freely given to him by Edo people.
“In his usual myopic mind, he wants to change the narratives and set a dangerous precedent,” Okpebholo noted in the statement.
The Governor-Elect said he won the elections convincingly and added that the tribunal would soon validate his claims.
He asserted that Obaseki would not get away with the reckless claims.
“Obaseki will not get away with this misrepresentation. Senator Monday Okpebholo, the Governor-Elect of Edo State, won the 21st September governorship election in Edo State.
“Obaseki is still licking his wounds of defeat and is yet to accept the reality. Edo people, through the ballot, rejected the planned continuation of Obaseki’s satanic government through his glorified stooge, Asue Ighodalo,” he said.
Okpebholo said Obaseki was trying to influence the outcome of the ongoing case at the tribunal by making false claims.
He said the attempt would fail like a pack of cards.
He said: “The Peoples Democratic Party is already challenging the outcome of the election in court. We are therefore worried that Obaseki is in a hurry to pre-empt the outcome of the tribunal by repeatedly making false claims.
“Unfortunately for Obaseki, his baseless claims will not stand. The Peoples Democratic Party and its candidate, Ighodalo, have no case against Senator Okpebholo. The tribunal will soon confirm that.”
He warned Obaseki to desist from making false claims and reminded him of severe consequences that may follow if he does not stop.
Senator Okpebholo reminded Obaseki that he will soon lose his immunity and will therefore be forced to face the full wrath of the law if he does not retrace his steps.
“Although Senator Okpebholo is a man of peace, we will not sit back and allow him to keep misrepresenting the true outcome of what happened on the 21st of September.
“Obaseki will soon lose his immunity and if he continues to make his baseless claims, he will face the full wrath of the law very soon and he will prove his unfounded allegations when he is dragged to court,” Okpebholo warned in the statement.
Reacting to another claim by Obaseki that he was not invited to attend the inauguration slated for next Tuesday, Okpebholo described it as laughable, absurd, and questionable.
He said that since he won the election, Obaseki has employed every means to frustrate a peaceful transfer of power.
The Governor-elect noted that Obaseki has not extended any invitation to him for a meeting or a tour of the Government House.
The statement read: “Again, Obaseki also claimed that Senator Okpebholo did not invite him to the inauguration, slated for next Tuesday. This is laughable, absurd, and questionable. Since Senator Okpebholo was declared winner, Obaseki has employed every means to frustrate a peaceful transfer of power.
“As a sitting Governor, Obaseki should tell Edo people and Nigerians if he has ever invited the Governor-Elect, Senator Okpebholo to the Government House for a meeting or a tour as a responsible man. Has Obaseki called Senator Okpebholo to congratulate him since he won the election?
“Obaseki should cover his face in shame, account for the billions he has misappropriated, and apologise to Edo people for under-developing the State in the last eight years.
“We urge Edo people to disregard Obaseki’s reckless statements and support the incoming administration of Senator Okpebholo to remedy the many wrongs of this government.”
