Edo Govt Vehicles Scandal - 500 Still Unaccounted For

Edo State Governor Okpebholo Investigates Predecessor Obaseki's Administration

“From the conversation I had with the chairman of that committee, he said that the initial figure of 200 was...”

Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo has launched a probe into the administration of his predecessor, Godwin Obaseki, amid allegations of mismanagement and corruption.

Fred Itua, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Monday Okpebholo, has revealed that nearly 500 vehicles owned by the Edo State Government are still unaccounted for. This update comes after a state-appointed committee, led by Kelly Okungbowa, initially estimated that around 200 vehicles were missing.

The committee's initial report sparked concerns about the management of government assets. However, the updated findings indicate a much more significant issue, with the number of missing vehicles more than doubling. Itua emphasized the scale of the problem, stating that only about 10 vehicles had been recovered so far.

Itua's disclosure on Monday, November 25, highlights the need for greater transparency and accountability in the management of government assets. The Edo State Government's efforts to recover the missing vehicles are ongoing, with the committee working to track down the remaining vehicles.

“So far, the committee set up to recover vehicles, as of this morning from findings that I made, they had recovered about 10 vehicles,” Itua said on M November 25.

“From the conversation I had with the chairman of that committee, he said that the initial figure of 200 was understated that there are almost 500 vehicles that are still missing and as of yesterday (Sunday), they had traced about 21 of those vehicles to the house of a very top appointee of the last government.”

Some of the missing Edo State Government vehicles have been linked to a former official from the previous administration under Governor Godwin Obaseki.

“Then, another about 15 - traced to the house of another [top appointee of Obaseki's government], and in the coming days, they intend to legitimately recover these vehicles and other assets belonging to the state so that is being held in private hands which ordinarily should not have happened.”

This development is the latest in the Edo State government's scrutiny of Obaseki's tenure, which ended just a few weeks ago.

According to Itua, the current government has been left to grapple with the aftermath of Obaseki's administration, with many officials struggling to carry out their duties due to the lack of vehicles. This has led to accusations that Obaseki's administration mismanaged state resources and assets.

The controversy surrounding the missing vehicles is just one aspect of the broader scrutiny of Obaseki's tenure. The Edo State APC transition committee has also submitted a report calling for Obaseki's probe, citing concerns over the management of state finances and assets during his administration.

Governor Godwin Obaseki, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has been succeeded by Governor Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Okpebholo won the September 21 governorship election, defeating Obaseki's preferred candidate, Asue Ighodalo.

As part of his promise to promote transparency and accountability, Governor Okpebholo has set up a committee to investigate the activities of Obaseki's government. However, the probe has been met with resistance from Obaseki, who claims it's a diversionary tactic to mask Okpebholo's alleged incompetence and lack of preparedness for governance.

The controversy surrounding the probe has been intensified by the strained relationship between the two leaders. Obaseki has dismissed the investigation, while Okpebholo's administration is pushing forward with the probe. Recently, Governor Okpebholo approved the constitution of a 14-man State Assets Verification Committee to investigate Obaseki's administration.

Crusoe Osagie, Obaseki's media alde said, “We know what their plans are with the diversionary probes. It is just a smokescreen to mask the governor- select's incompetence and unpreparedness for office, having come into power through a stolen mandate.

“We want to advise Okpebholo to focus on governance and improving the lives of Edo people rather than waste state resources masking his incompetence in meaningless probes.”