2023 : Edo State is Today More Indebted than Before, you owe us explanations. . . Oshiomhole tackles Obaseki.

By Mike Aladenika, 

A former Edo state governor and Edo North senatorial candidate on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming election, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has disclosed that the incumbent governor of the state, Mr, Godwin Obaseki has more explanations to offer the citizens concerning the current state of indebtedness of Edo state in the face of federal allocation and sundry funds received in recent time. 

Comrade Adams Oshiomhole who stated this in Benin City while addressing a mammoth crowd of supporters at the flag off of Edo south Senatorial campaign as well as presentation of flags to the party's candidates for the 2023 general election said " the funds and resources that came into the state in recent time is sufficient for any responsible government to govern and provide necessary and basic amenities to it's citizens".

Oshiomhole, erstwhile National Chairman, All Progresives Congress said "although the past belong to the past while the future should be planned for. I make bold to say that  I didn’t leave any debt for my successor, Governor Godwin Obaseki, as the only local loan he took while in office as the chief executive officer of Edo State was the N25 billion bond which has been paid". 

, “Talking about the debt, I need to use this occasion to clear certain things, I have decided that what I owe Edo people was to join forces to secure tomorrow and not to cry over yesterday because we can't bring it back but facts must be explained.

"when  I assumed office as governor of the state, the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) was N250million each month but “after a month in office, the IGR went up to N2.1billion. 

Explaining further, he said: “When we had a World Bank budget support of $221 million and they paid two tranches of $75 million when Naira was N165 to a dollar, the third tranche of $75 million was paid to my successor, and I am not going to mention anybody’s name but it was paid to my successor.

“I did the Benin-Lagos roads and several federal roads with these money but the good thing was that, after I left office, the money I used to construct these roads N18 billion was refunded to my successors.

Oshiomhole then challenged the state government to  publish in national newspapers what was the level of domestic debt when he left office on November 12, 2016 and the current level of domestic debt.

“When they are talking that I left Edo in debt, tell them to publish in national newspapers what was the level of domestic debt when I left office on November 12, 2016 and what is the level of domestic debt now. Let them tell  the people if they didn't receive $75 million of the World Bank Budget Support when I left office and what they did with the money.

"If they continue to lie against me, I will publish the N10 billion President Muhammadu Buhari gave to all the states after I left office and another N10 billion to pay pension as well as the Paris refund,” Oshiomhole added.

On his part, Edo State chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Col David Imse (rtd)  said the people of Edo state will vote for the APC as against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) because of the leadership style of Governor Godwin Obaseki which he said has denied the masses of the state access to basic amenities in the guise of being a technocrat.

   Imuse who presented the party's flag to the senatorial candidate,  the four House of Representatives candidates and those of the state house of assembly after been officially unveiled to the people at the rally held at the Ekheuan Campus of the University of Benin.

   Among the high profile diganitries at the rally were two former deputy governors, Dr Pius Odubu and Hon Lucky Imasuen who is the Director General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council in the state.

  

Other included the APC governorship candidate in the 2020 election, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, former Minority Whip of the House of Representatives, Hon Samson Osagie, former Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Hon Uyi Igbe, former member of the House of Representatives, Hon Patrick Obahiagbon, State Secretary of the party, Egr Lawrence Okah, members of the State Working Committee and other leaders from the seven local government areas that make up Edo South Senatorial District. 

"The people we are having in Edo state today are pretenders, they have come to destroy Edo State, it is only in Edo state that they will destroy a library and turn it to Supermarket, it is only in Edo state they will convert a children's ward in a hospital to another supermarket. Our markets are getting burnt. Last year Ekiosa got burnt and today, a part of that market has been converted to Jara supermarket, they want to drive away our market women from their markets.says Col Imuse. 

 "We wanted to place campaign materials on billboards, they have refused to allow us to do that but we have carefully selected our candidates here they will be led by Bola Ahmed Tinubu so that we will win at the presidential election and win all the elected seats in the state from senate to the state house of assembly.”

   On his part, Odubu said the candidates are all young people and urged the youths to vote for all of them just as he appealed for the people to be patient “because very soon, the Oshiomhole/Odubu era will be restore where we had red roofs, where intercity roads were tarred with covered drains, where the water fountain in ring road that serve as a recreation centre for our people will be restored, our street lights will be restored.”

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