The All Progressives Congress on Thursday triggered fresh firework in the build up to the September 19 governorship election in Edo State, accusing incumbent Governor Godwin Obaseki of obtaining an approval for a N1.5 billion loan from the seven members of the factional Edo State House of Assembly of out of the 24 lawmakers, for illegal vote-buying ahead of the September 19 governorship election.
Chairman of the APC Campaign Council Media and Publicity Committee, Prince John Mayaki, in a statement on Thursday,alleged that plans are afoot to cash the loan at a particular commercial bank chaired by a friend of the Governor.
Mayaki condemned the Governor’s “dangerous and pathological desperation”, seeking the intervention of “anti-graft agencies and civil society groups to block Governor Obaseki’s latest attempt to increase the financial toll of his ‘doomed second term’ ambition on the public finances of Edo State.”
The APC Campaign Council Media and Publicity Chairman declared: “After depleting the treasury of Edo State with his constant illegal withdrawals, most notably the N15 billion payment to the PDP leadership of tax-collectors for his re-election ticket on the platform of the divided party, the outgoing Governor Godwin Obaseki is now finalizing plans to obtain a N1.5 billion loan from a commercial bank for the sole purpose of vote-buying on the 19th of September.
“This latest move and indication of the Governor’s pathological desperation was reliably communicated to us by a source in his illegal Assembly of seven members out of the 24 elected to represent the people of Edo State.
“This illegal Assembly of seven members, convening in aberrant and unlawful meetings dictated by the Governor Godwin Obaseki in the Edo State Government House after leading thugs to destroy and desecrate the legislative chambers, quietly received and passed a request for a loan of N1.5 billion which the Governor intends to deploy in his planned vote-buying and mobilization of more thugs to orchestrate violence following anticipated defeat in a fair contest.”
Mayaki protested that it is “despicable and evil” for the Governor to borrow against future funds for the criminal purpose of rigging after wasting the state’s earned revenue on his “selfish and depraved political ambitions.”
The Campaign Media coordinator disclosed that APC is already preparing for governance in expectation of its victory on September 19, admonishing that the party will resist every attempt by the “rejected Governor” to compound the woes of the State and leave behind intractable problems that would stall development and growth.
The APC Campaign Council Media Cargoman vowed to send a petition to the EFCC on the alleged loan, calling on all civil society groups in Edo State to live up to their mandate of holding the government accountable and combating institutionalized corruption by taking the state government up to task on the alleged loan.
Mayaki declared: “We are once again warning all financial institutions in the country and beyond to desist from granting the departing administration of Godwin Obaseki any new emergency loans, especially, if any such request emanates from an illegal Assembly where seven persons are claiming to be more and greater than 17.”