As the campaign for the September 21, 2024, governorship election in Edo State gathers steam, a pressure group in the state, the Edo People’s Advocacy Organisation of Nigeria, has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to do a forensic audit of the finances of the 18 local government areas of the state.
The group’s petition is hinged on the accusation it levelled against Governor Godwin Obaseki, whom it accused of funding the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Asue Ighodalo’s election campaign with local government area funds, and called on the Commission to unravel the alleged fraud.
But in a swift reaction, the Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Mr. Monday Osaigbovo, denied the allegation, saying that the opposition should focus on campaigning for their candidates and leave Ighodalo alone.
The group took its petition, which was endorsed by Comrade Agbogun Monday as Coordinator and Odeh Johnson as Secretary, to the Benin Zonal Office of the EFCC, It was received by the Head, Public Affairs, Benin Zonal Office of the EFCC, Williams Oseghale, who reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to zero tolerance for corruption and promised that the petition would be handled professionally.
The group said, “While other states’ local government councils across the country are carrying out developmental projects, Edo State Councils are allegedly busy using public funds to continue the third-term bid of Emperor Obaseki by funding the Asu Ighodalo Campaign.
“We hereby demand that the EFCC carry out a forensic audit of our eighteen local government areas in Edo State, all in a bid to recover looted and diverted funds.
“That the council chairmen be invited to show the record of the last four months’ expenditure immediately so as to recover looted funds channelled for funding Obaseki’s third term bid.”
When contacted on the phone, Osagbovo said that the 18 local government areas in the state, which were battling to pay the new minimum wage, could not have been diverting public funds for political campaigns.
According to him, “Our local governments are struggling to pay salaries; they are trying to pay their pensioners because of the issue of the increase in the minimum wage.
“Local government total salaries used to be a little above N1 billion, but now they are over N1.4 billion. Are those the people who can fund somebody’s election?
“Every chairman and councillor can be working for the PDP and its candidate, but definitely not using the council funds. So, they should face their campaign.
“Did Asue get his nomination using council funds? He went around the 192 wards before he got the ticket for the party, so the allegation is false.
“Before now, they accused us of withholding their funds; that has failed, and they have come up with funding Asue’s campaign, it is all false.” Osaigbovo reaffirmed.
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