In a stunning development, the Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the state’s newly inaugurated governor, Monday Okpebholo, of mismanaging over N30 billion left in the state’s treasury by the previous administration. The allegations were raised by Dr. Anthony Aziegbemi, the caretaker committee chairman of the PDP, during a press conference on November 27, 2024. Aziegbemi claimed that the current administration had squandered these funds within just 14 days of taking office, allegedly using the money to reward political “godfathers” who played a role in securing Okpebholo’s victory in the September 2024 gubernatorial election.
The PDP’s accusations focused heavily on the alleged financial mismanagement and lack of transparency in Okpebholo’s administration. “For 8 years, the PDP-led administration paid salaries on or before the 25th of every month,” Aziegbemi stated. “As of today, they have not been able to pay November salaries, even though the Obaseki-led PDP administration left over N30 billion in the state coffers.” The opposition party claims that this failure to pay workers is part of a broader pattern of mismanagement under Okpebholo’s government, which it alleges has led to the rapid depletion of state funds.
Aziegbemi pointed out that the previous PDP-led government under Governor Godwin Obaseki had a solid track record of financial management, consistently paying salaries to civil and public workers on time. However, under Okpebholo, the situation had drastically changed. “We are aware that as we speak, nobody in the state has received any credit alert for the payment of November 2024 salary,” Aziegbemi added. “This is contrary to the record set by Governor Obaseki, where the workers received their salaries on or before the 26th of each month.”
One of the more significant allegations leveled by the PDP is the procurement of over N5 billion worth of vehicles by the Okpebholo administration, which the party claims was done without a proper procurement process. Aziegbemi emphasized that this raised serious concerns about financial accountability. He also mentioned that the Permanent Secretary in the Governor’s office was reportedly pressuring civil servants to accept the vehicles, despite improper documentation. “The government has created a crisis, and civil servants are being threatened because of these improper procurements,” he said.
In addition to the procurement issues, Aziegbemi raised concerns about the Okpebholo administration’s alleged efforts to pass entries for over N2 billion in inauguration costs. He described this as another example of the government’s attempts to misappropriate funds. “They are desperately looking for ways to pass these entries and legitimize their actions,” Aziegbemi charged, warning that the Edo State Procurement Act was at risk under the current administration.
The PDP also took aim at the political dynamics of Okpebholo’s government, alleging that the newly elected governor had been rewarding political allies at the expense of the state’s finances. According to Aziegbemi, the over N30 billion in state funds was “filtered away” and shared with political godfathers who helped to secure Okpebholo’s election, undermining the will of the people.
In response to these accusations, the Edo State Government issued a statement defending Governor Okpebholo’s actions. Fred Itua, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, emphasized that the new administration would not be swayed by what he described as “blackmail” from the opposition. He also reiterated that Governor Okpebholo was committed to restoring the state’s financial health and tackling any corruption that had accumulated under previous administrations.
“The government of Monday Okpebholo will expose the eight years of rot left behind by the PDP,” Itua said in a statement. “We are focused on moving Edo State forward and are in a hurry to develop the state, despite the false claims being made by the opposition.” Itua further asserted that no amount of criticism would deter the Okpebholo administration from pursuing its agenda of progress and development for Edo State.
Governor Okpebholo’s administration, which has been in power for only two weeks, has already faced significant scrutiny from the opposition, with the PDP accusing the governor of financial recklessness.
