Edo Guber: Okpebholo Urges Ighodalo to Withdraw from Race Due to Obaseki’s Failures

In the Edo gubernatorial race, Okpebholo has advised Ighodalo to consider withdrawing from the election, citing the perceived failures of Governor Obaseki as a key reason.

As the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Monday Okpebholo has urged Asue Ighodalo, the flagbearer for Peoples Democratic Party in Edo State’s upcoming September 21 election to step down from his candidacy due to his supposed shortcomings as Godwin Obaseki’s Economic Adviser.

Okpebholo, the current representative of Edo Central senatorial district at the National Assembly, claimed that Asue Ighodalo’s actions as an economic adviser resulted in significant debt for the state.

On Tuesday, during a meeting with the Edo State chapter of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) in Benin City, advice was given by the gubernatorial candidate for APC.

He stated that a sorrowful tale of the previous administration was their choice to bring in someone who had previously acted as an economic adviser to the man responsible for failing Edo state.

“I thought to myself that if I were Barrister Ause Ighodalo, I wouldn’t bother participating in the governorship election due to my role as an economic adviser in a failed government.”

He said that in Esanland, where he comes from, they were taught morals and not to consume anything that is bad or spoiled.

The state’s debt profile has ballooned to over N573 billion from the initial amount of N43 billion, a fact deplored by the APC gubernatorial nominee.

He accused the Obaseki administration of an unparalleled level of theft and cautioned citizens against permitting such thievery to persist under his potential third term spearheaded by Asue Ighodalo.

Did you know that the current debt profile of Edo State exceeds N573 billion? This is what the state currently owes. Under Adams Oshiomhole’s leadership, monthly allocations from the Federation Account ranged between N3.1 and N3.3 billion, but today they range from as much as N11.1 billion with little to show for it in terms of development or progress.

Asue Ighodalo served as Chief Economic Adviser of a government that only received an inheritance of approximately N43 billion debt from the preceding administrations helmed by Adams Oshiomhole, Lucky Igbinedion, and Prof Oserhiemen Osunbor.

According to him, while work was being carried out in the state with an average of N3.1 billion to N3.3 billion during Oshiomhole’s tenure, Governor Obaseki has nothing significant to display despite having over N11 billion at his disposal.

Okpebholo claimed that his experience as a federal lawmaker made him the ideal candidate for the governorship position. He pledged to improve governance in order to benefit the people if he were elected governor.

He urged the farmers to turn out in great numbers on election day and cast their votes for him, promising that his government would prioritize empowering them as vital contributors towards tackling food insecurity.

He claimed that due to the embezzlement of state funds, Governor Obaseki would not complete his term in office and pass on power to the subsequent administration.

The candidate aspiring for the APC governorship position further urged voters to utilize their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) as a means of penalizing both PDP and its representative.

In just under a month on September 21, 2024, we will use our votes to hold them accountable for stealing our hard-earned money. The day of reckoning is fast approaching and their unjust actions will not go unpunished.

He declared that they will not remain to transfer power to the succeeding government but instead escape, citing their embezzlement of funds meant for citizens as motive. The money was allegedly employed in creating a bank and constructing a 10-story structure designated for Afrinvest situated in Lagos.