Almost 500 vehicles belonging to the Edo State Government are currently missing, according to Fred Itua, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Monday Okpebholo.
A committee established by the state to recover vehicles and other assets had initially reported that 200 vehicles were missing.
However, Itua revealed that the number has now increased, based on new information from the committee, which is led by Kelly Okungbowa.
“So far, the committee set up to recover vehicles, as of this morning from findings that I made, they had recovered about 10 vehicles,” Itua said on Monday’s edition of Channels Television’s Lunchtime Politics.
“From the conversation I had with the chairman of that committee, he said that the initial figure of 200 was understated that there are almost 500 vehicles that are still missing and as of yesterday, they had traced about 21 of those vehicles to the house of a very top appointee of the last government.”
According to him, some of the missing vehicles were also traced to a former official of the past government of Godwin Obaseki.
“Then, another – about 15 – traced to the house of another [top appointee of Obaseki’s government], and in the coming days, they intend to legitimately recover these vehicles and other assets belonging to the state so that is being held in private hands which ordinarily should not have happened.”
Itua said some officials of the Okpebholo administration do not have vehicles, adding that the current government inherited nothing from Obaseki.
‘Diversionary Probes’
The latest development regarding the missing vehicles comes as part of the Edo State government’s ongoing inquiry into the administration of former Governor Godwin Obaseki, who handed over power a few weeks ago.
Obaseki, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was succeeded by Governor Monday Okpebholo, who belongs to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and won the September 21 governorship election, defeating Obaseki’s chosen candidate, Asue Ighodalo.
In line with his commitment to ensure transparency, probity, and accountability, Okpebholo recently set up a committee to probe Obaseki’s administration.
However, following the strained relationship between the two leaders, Obaseki has claimed that Okpebholo’s actions are merely a smokescreen designed to cover up his own incompetence and lack of preparation for leadership.
Obaseki’s media aide Crusoe Osagie said, “we know what their plans are with the diversionary probes. It is just a smokescreen to mask the governor-select’s incompetence and unpreparedness for office, having come into power through a stolen mandate.
“We want to advise Okpebholo to focus on governance and improving the lives of Edo people rather than waste state resources masking his incompetence in meaningless probes.”