Edo State governor-elect, Monday Okpebholo, has criticized the outgoing administration of Governor Godwin Obaseki over reports of plans to secure a $45 million loan from the Chinese Government.
Okpebholo’s office denied allegations that his recent visit to the Chinese Ambassador was to negotiate the loan, emphasizing that as governor-elect, he lacks constitutional powers to execute state functions until he assumes office.
The governor-elect accused Obaseki’s administration of spreading false rumours and urged them to focus on the transition process instead, according to The Sun
Okpebholo’s team expressed concerns about the outgoing administration’s management of the state over the past eight years.
Okpebholo vowed to manage resources judiciously to develop the state, unlike the outgoing administration, which allegedly obtained numerous loans without corresponding development. The governor-elect’s team called on Obaseki’s administration to apologize to the people of Edo State for their actions.
The transition process, initiated by the Edo State Government, aims to facilitate a seamless transfer of power. However, tensions between the incoming and outgoing administrations may hinder progress. Okpebholo’s inauguration is expected to mark a significant shift in the state’s governance.
The statement read: “We wish to draw the attention of the general public to the mischievous publication speculating that the winner of the 21st November governorship election in Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo, was in talks with a Chinese agency to obtain a loan of $45.21 million to construct three flyovers in Benin City.
“We are constrained to set the record straight. The governor-elect, Senator Monday Okpebholo, was invited to the office of the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria in Abuja, where the photograph now circulating online was taken. The governor-elect was not there to sign any Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the China-Exim Bank for a loan, as falsely claimed in the publication.
“Understandably, as governor-elect, Senator Okpebholo is not in any official capacity to obtain any loan on behalf of the state. Rather, he is considering how to offset the numerous loans obtained by the outgoing administration without corresponding development.
“The governor-elect, being a realist, will not build his administration on MoUs, nor will he become another ‘MoU Governor’ of Edo State.
“The agents of the outgoing administration and members of the defeated PDP spreading false rumours about the governor-elect should focus on the transition process, which they are allegedly attempting to disrupt.
“The governor-elect will not take advice from those who have failed and mortgaged the future of Edo people over the past seven years. He will not be a looter of public funds as governor of Edo State. Instead, he will manage the resources belonging to Edo people judiciously to develop the state.
“Instead of spreading lies and falsehoods, we expect the mischief-makers to apologise to the people of the state and undergo penance for their actions. We expect them to confess their wrongdoings and seek forgiveness from the people of Edo State, whom they have financially, mentally, and otherwise traumatised over the past seven years!”
