e saide saiThe Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has stated that the N12billion accusation leveled against the 18 Local Government Council chairmen by the state governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, is part of his plan to justify his attack on democracy in the state.
Recall that on Tuesday, the state governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, accused the 18 suspended local government council chairmen of remitting over N12 billion to PDP leaders in the state during their 15 months in office.
The Chairman of the Edo PDP Caretaker Committee, Dr. Tony Aziegbemi, disclosed this in a press statement entitled “Okpebholo’s lies on remittance of funds to PDP leaders: A ploy to justify attack on local councils, extermination of democracy in Edo,” made available to journalists on Tuesday night in Benin.
He said: “The attention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been drawn to the recent statements by Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo, where he made spurious and baseless claims to justify the lawlessness, extermination of democracy, and brutal attack on the state’s 18 local councils as executed by his clueless government.
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“We want to categorically state that the unfounded allegations are a blatant lie and should be disregarded as a cocktail of complete falsehood.
“The resort to unintelligent lies and falsehood is just another failed attempt by the governor to mislead the public and distract from his government’s blatant disregard for the rule of law, illegality, and ongoing extermination of democracy in the state.
“We are aware that the governor is desperate to access the local councils’ treasury to reward godfathers and settle political debts he incurred during the last governorship election, and he is exploring every opportunity to achieve this devious plan.
“Having failed in the illegal suspension of the council chairmen, he is now sending thugs and non-state actors to attack council headquarters, kidnap councilors, and force them to impeach the duly elected council chairmen.
“He is desperately looking for excuses to justify this illegality and lawlessness and has decided to point accusing fingers at the PDP to mask his ignoble acts.
“For clarity, we want to emphasize that every comment made by the governor in the statement is false and baseless.
“At no point have PDP leaders received any such funds from local government chairmen as ridiculously alleged by the governor.
“We doubt very much that the figure put forward by the governor is actually the one he intended to state. We know he was confused a few weeks ago when he was confronted with financials.
“However, we challenge him to provide proof to substantiate these unfounded claims.
“Okpebholo must understand that local government is neither an appendage nor a subordinate of the state government, but a constitutionally recognized third tier of government, whose independence and autonomy are guaranteed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He must stop this executive rascality before the state descends into anarchy and chaos.
“As we have repeatedly pointed out, Okpebholo’s real challenge lies in his lack of capacity and developmental plans for the state.
“He is a politician out of his depth who got into office unprepared, through the back door. We, therefore, urge him to settle down, build capacity, and focus on serving the people of Edo State during his brief tenure at Dennis Osadebey Avenue, rather than jeopardize the peace and security of the state in desperate pursuit of his selfish interests.”
NIGERIAN TRIBUNE