Politics: Oshiomhole Is The Biggest Thief In Edo State - Igbenedion

Former Governor of Edo State, Mr. Lucky Igbinedion, has asked Governor Adams Oshiomhole to explain to the people of Edo how he allegedly squandered trillions of Federal Allocations and Internal Generated Revenue he collected in the last seven years.

The ex-governor dismissed a statement credited to Oshiomhole that it took seven years for him (the governor) to speak out on the purportedly illegalities perpetrated by him while in office.

In a statement he personally signed in Abuja on Satuday, Igbinedion promised to expose his successor at the appropriate time.

The Edo State Government had on Wednesday said it had begun moves to recover $31m allegedly “fraudulently taken” from the government coffers, during Igbinedion’s administration.

Oshiomhole also vowed to publish records of fraud allegedly perpetrated by the ex-governor, adding that he would forward all the files containing the alleged fraud to Abuja this week for prosecution.

Oshiomhole had also accused the ex-governor and his father, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, of allegedly converting government properties and funds meant for the people of the state to private use.

The governor had said his feud with the Igbinedion family started when he revoked the over 200,000 hectares of government land, which the former governor allegedly gave to his father in Okada, as well as the termination of the Memorandum of Understanding the ex-governor allegedly signed with his father.

The MoU, Oshiomhole alleged, was to allow “the medical students in Igbinedion University to use our state-owned hospital at the expense of the Edo State Government while Chief Igbinedion collects N1m from each medical student.”

Igbinedion, however, said records of activities during his tenure were open to the public.

He said, “I have made it very clear time without numbers that the files of my tenure are there for everybody who cares to ask to check. I do not intend to dignify Adams Oshiomhole any longer by joining issue with him.

“He should explain to the people of Edo State how he spent the federal allocations and internal generated revenues running into trillions naira in seven years.

“He should tell the people of Edo how much he is paying as land tax for his house in Iyamho worth over N10bn and other properties he has acquired in the last seven years in Dubai, Cape Town in South Africa, in San Francisco, United States of America, a high rise apartment in Atlanta also in America and in London. He is calling everybody a thief but Oshiomhole is the biggest thief in Benin City today.”

The ex-governor added that because Oshiomhole had allegedly mismanaged the financial resources of the state, which were entrusted in his care in the last seven years, and currently receiving the hit from the people, the governor was looking for ways to divert people’s attention.

Igbinedion added, “Oshiomhole has failed; the people of Edo State now know him better. Oshiomhole is the least qualified person to talk about corruption in the country today because his actions and programmes in the last seven years in Edo State epitomise corruption.

“He has called everybody in Nigeria a thief; has called former President Olusegun Obasanjo a thief; called former President Goodluck Jonathan a thief, he called (ex-Minister of Finance, Ngozi) Okojo-Iweala a thief, and others. Yet, he cannot prove his cases. I don’t think he knows the meaning of a thief.

“He lives in the glass house and throwing stones. President Muhammadu Buhari will soon find out the real Oshiomhole by the time we provide documents against him.”

Several calls made to the telephone of Chief Press Secretary to the Edo State Governor, Mr. Peter Okhiria, to get boss’ reaction to Igbinedion’s allegations on Saturday were not picked.

Punch