In a stunning revelation that has rocked Edo State, the Administrative Panel of Inquiry set up by Governor Monday Okpebholo to investigate the financial accounts of the impeached 18 Local Government Chairmen has allegedly uncovered large-scale corruption.
The findings reportedly indicted the immediate past Governor, Godwin Obaseki, alongside some local government chairmen, leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), among others.
A statement released on the 16th of February, 2025, by Fred Itua, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, detailed how the panel’s investigation into the financial dealings of local governments between the 4th of September, 2023, and November 2024, revealed alleged mismanagement and diversion of ₦95,080,676,687.86 from the Joint Allocation Account Committee (JAAC).
A Deep Web of Alleged Corruption
Chairman of the panel, Solomon Imohiosen, while submitting the report to Governor Monday Okpebholo, alleged that those indicted either “mismanaged and/or diverted to private accounts, the sum of ₦95,080,676,687.86, being amount received from the Joint Allocation Account Committee, JAAC, by the 18 Local Government Area Chairmen for the period under review.”
He listed some of the indicted individuals, including Newman Ugiagbe, embattled chairman of Orhionmwon Local Government and State chairman of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), as well as Ahonsi Ogiegbaen Osifo, Eric Agbonmwanre, Abraham Burma, and Dickson Imasogie Notiemwenmwan.
Imohiosen further alleged that the ALGON chairman, “used his hotel, the Demarriots Hotels Limited in collusion with others to loot Local Government funds.”
According to him, forensic investigations uncovered that the ₦96 billion was either mismanaged and/or diverted to private accounts.
He stated that the panel observed that “₦95,080,676,687.86 was received from the Joint Allocation Account Committee, JAAC, by the 18 Local Government Area Chairmen for the period under investigation. However, the funds were not judiciously utilized as no meaningful projects were on the ground to justify the amount received.”
The panel’s findings also revealed a fraudulent scheme under the guise of “Security, Environment, and Training,” through which over ₦10,433,658,452.00 was allegedly siphoned.
“The 18 Local Government Area Chairmen contributed the amount to the account, using it as a conduit pipe to drain government resources, as monies were transferred from there to various individuals and companies,” Imohiosen alleged.
Panel Faced Obstruction in Investigation
While detailing the challenges encountered during the investigation, Imohiosen noted that the panel faced different challenges during the course of the assignment, which included late submission of financial records by various Local Government Councils, incomplete submission of records.
Other challenges included “deliberate obstruction of the investigation by Council personnel who failed to comply on time, but brought hefty sacks as an after-thought to dazzle panel members.”
Governor Okpebholo’s Reaction: EFCC to Prosecute Indicted Officials
Governor Monday Okpebholo, after receiving the committee’s report, vowed that “the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, would prosecute those indicted for allegedly looting the Local Government treasuries, running into over ₦95 billion.”
He assured the public that he would “personally petition the EFCC on the findings of the report for immediate prosecution” and ensure that those responsible face justice.
Expressing his outrage over the findings, Okpebholo declared:
“I want to thank you for a job well done. I carefully listened to the submission of the report. The truth is that the administration of former governor Godwin Obaseki took Edo people for granted. They took everything belonging to Edo people and channeled it for their personal gains.”
He further credited the current administration’s ability to change Edo’s governance narrative to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying: “We thank God for helping us to change the narrative to benefit Edo people. We also thank the President of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, because without his support, we will not be witnessing the kind of development we are experiencing in Edo today.”
Slamming the alleged corruption under the PDP-led administration, Okpebholo stated: “A lot has happened. The Peoples Democratic Party looted the treasury of the Local Governments and stole our collective patrimony, and nobody went after them or took action. This time, things are different. We will go after them and retrieve what they have stolen from Edo people.”
He reiterated his commitment to ensuring accountability, warning that “they will be made to pay for it. I will personally take this document to the EFCC and ensure that justice is done for this wrong done to Edo people.”
Okpebholo also pointed out that “besides the impeached Local Government Chairmen who were indicted by the report, former governor Godwin Obaseki, leaders of the factional Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), among others, were also fingered.”
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Finally, the Governor emphasized that “the days of financial recklessness and lack of transparency in public office were long over, as Nigerians need to start demanding accountability from elected public office holders. This is the only way to fight corruption and ensure development.”
This investigation followed the Governor’s decision on the 18th of December, 2024, to set up the Administrative Panel of Inquiry to scrutinize the financial dealings of the impeached 18 Local Government Chairmen in Edo State.
With the findings now out in the open, all eyes are on the EFCC as Edo people await the next chapter in what could be one of the state’s biggest corruption scandals in recent history.