Obaseki Won’t Appear Before Edo Assembly Panel, Aide Says, Citing Court Cases
Former Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki will not appear before the Edo State House of Assembly panel set up to probe his administration, according to his media aide, Crusoe Osagie.
Osagie stated this on Sunday in response to a summons issued by the Assembly, which invited Obaseki and other top officials to explain their roles in the construction of the Radisson Blu Hotel and the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA).
The aide dismissed the probe as a “witch-hunt” and a “jamboree,” alleging that the Assembly is acting out a script written by Senator Adams Oshiomhole, the leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
He argued that the issues in question are currently sub judice, as they are subjects of ongoing litigation.
“The former governor will not be appearing before the panel because the matter is in court. It is sub judice. This is just a political vendetta. It is a script written by Oshiomhole and acted by the Speaker and the House,” Osagie said.
The Edo Assembly had recently inaugurated a 14-man ad-hoc committee to investigate the ownership status and financial expenditure of the two major projects initiated by the Obaseki administration.
The probe followed a directive from the current state government led by Governor Monday Okpebholo.
Osagie criticised the move as an attempt to tarnish Obaseki’s image, insisting that the former governor served the state diligently for eight years.
He maintained that Obaseki is not on the run but is currently on a fellowship in the United Kingdom.
