Former Edo State Governor and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, has called on the state governor, Monday Okpebholo, to launch a full investigation into the administration of his predecessor, Godwin Obaseki, over alleged financial mismanagement and questionable projects.
Oshiomhole’s comments came in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decisive ruling that upheld Okpebholo’s victory in the 2024 Edo State governorship election, effectively ending months of legal battles brought by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo.
Addressing supporters and journalists shortly after the apex court’s verdict, the senator representing Edo North district did not mince words as he accused Obaseki of evading accountability for his time in office.
“You now have the time to look into that hotel about which they say Edo money, in tens of billions of naira, was spent, and now they claim it’s just a minority shareholding,” Oshiomhole said, referencing alleged murky investments linked to the Obaseki administration.
“You have time to revisit all those roads that were built at the worst costs compared to the ones I built and that are still there. Governor Obaseki must come out of hiding to answer these questions.”
Oshiomhole further urged Governor Okpebholo not only to pursue physical development projects but also to prioritise political unity in the state, describing the state as a minority player on Nigeria’s national political stage.
“As a state that is a minority when it comes to politics, the unity of our people is essential,” he added.
The Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision on Thursday, dismissed the appeal filed by PDP’s Ighodalo, who had sought to overturn Okpebholo’s election on the grounds of alleged over-voting and non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
Delivering the lead judgment, Justice Lawal Garba held that the appellants failed to provide credible evidence of widespread irregularities that could invalidate the election results.
The apex court’s verdict aligns with earlier decisions by both the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal and the Court of Appeal, which each dismissed Ighodalo’s petitions as lacking merit.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Okpebholo the winner of the governorship poll with 291,667 votes, defeating Ighodalo, who had 247,655 votes.
Meanwhile, tensions have continued to rise as Governor Okpebholo has approved the creation of a 14-member Edo State Assets Verification Committee to examine the assets and liabilities inherited from Obaseki’s administration.
In a statement released by Okpebholo’s Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua, the committee was described as necessary to address “scanty and limited” information provided during the transition.
However, Obaseki’s media aide, Crusoe Osagie, dismissed the move as a politically motivated witch-hunt designed to mask what he called Governor Okpebholo’s “lack of readiness” to govern.
“This so-called State Assets Verification Committee is just another smokescreen in a series of meaningless probes initiated by a governor who has shown he is unprepared for the responsibilities of governance,” Osagie said.
He further described Obaseki as “globally acclaimed” for running a transparent and accountable administration and accused Akpakomiza’s government of being “controlled by godfathers seeking vendetta.”
Defending the initiative, the Edo State APC Publicity Secretary, Peter Uwadiae-Igbinigie, argued that the asset review was critical for good governance and accountability.
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