The incoming governor of Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo, on Sunday, alleged that the outgoing governor of the state, Godwin Obaseki, has fled Nigeria through the land borders.
With Okpebholo expected to be sworn into office on Tuesday, Obaseki will lose his immunity.
Last week, Obaseki last week said he heard that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was planning to arrest him after the expiration of his tenure as governor, stressing that he is unfazed as he had nothing to worry about.
In a statement made available to journalists on Sunday and signed by his media aide, Godspower Inegbe, Okpebholo said Edo people are worried by Obaseki’s reckless statements.
The governor-elect in the statement raised the alarm regarding the whereabouts of Obaseki, saying he reportedly fled Benin City, the Edo State capital, on Friday, using a disguised bus.
The statement accused Obaseki of chasing out everyone from the Government House on Friday before escaping to a yet-to-be known location more than 72 hours before his official departure from office.
The statement further accused Obaseki of making false claims to shift attention away from his alleged plan to leave the country through the land borders.
The statement read, “As of Friday, 8th of November, the whereabouts of Obaseki are unknown. He has chased everyone out of Edo State Government House. He has abandoned governance in the State, and he is on the run.
“He has escaped through the road out of Benin. He did not pass through the airport. If he is as popular as he claims, why did he not use the airport to escape? Instead, he hired a bus and disguised while escaping from Edo State.
“Obaseki is trying to push out these narratives in order to distract the public. His antics will not work. We know his plans, and we will continue to expose his shenanigans to Edo people.”
Obaseki, on Saturday, claimed that Senator Okpebholo did not invite him to his inauguration slated for next Tuesday.
Okpebholo also accused Obaseki of misappropriating public funds as the state governor.
He said, “According to the unpopular outgoing governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo stole the mandate freely given to him by Edo people. In his usual myopic mind, he wants to change the narratives and set a dangerous precedence.”
The governor-elect said he won the elections convincingly and added that the tribunal will soon validate his claims. He said Obaseki would not get away with the allegations.
“Obaseki will not get away with this misrepresentation. Senator Monday Okpebholo, the Governor-Elect of Edo State, won the 21st September governorship election in Edo State.
“Obaseki is still licking his wound of defeat and is yet to accept the reality. Edo people, through the ballot, rejected the planned continuation of Obaseki’s satanic government through his glorified stooge, Asue Ighodalo,” he said.
Okpebholo said Obaseki is trying to influence the outcome of the ongoing case at the tribunal by making false claims. He said the attempt will fail like a pack of cards.
He said: “The Peoples Democratic Party is already challenging the outcome of the election in court. We are therefore worried that Obaseki is in a hurry to pre-empt the outcome of the tribunal by repeatedly making false claims.
“Unfortunately for Obaseki, his baseless claims will not stand. The Peoples Democratic Party and its candidate, Ighodalo, have no case against Senator Okpebholo. The tribunal will soon confirm that.”
He warned Obaseki to desist from making false claims and reminded him of severe consequences that may follow if he does not stop.
Senator Okpebholo reminded Obaseki that he will soon lose his immunity and will therefore be forced to face the full wrath of the law if he does not retrace his steps.
“Although Senator Okpebholo is a man of peace, we will not sit back and allow him to keep misrepresenting the true outcome of what happened on the 21st of September.
“Obaseki will soon lose his immunity and if he continues to make his baseless claims, he will face the full wrath of the law very soon and he will prove his unfounded allegations when he is dragged to court,” Okpebholo warned in the statement.
