Senator Monday Okpebholo, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the September 21, governorship election in Edo State has advised the flagbearer of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Asue Ighodalo to withdraw from the race due to his alleged failure as the Economic Adviser to Godwin Obaseki.
Sunrise reports that Okpebholo, who is currently representing Edo Central senatorial district at the National Assembly, alleged that Asue Ighodalo’s roles as an economic adviser plunged the state into huge debt.
The APC governorship candidate gave the advice on Tuesday during a meeting with the Edo State chapter of All Farmers Association of Nigeria, AFAN in Benin City.
According to him, a sad story of the outgoing government is that the man who had failed Edo state was bringing somebody who was his economic adviser.
“I told myself that if I was Barrister Ause Ighodalo I would not bother myself to contest the governorship election because a government that I am an economic adviser in has failed.
“Where I came from, which is Esanland, we were taught morals and anything that is bad or spoiled we don’t eat”, he said.
The APC governorship candidate lamented that the current debt profile of the state was over N573 billion from the inherited N43 billion.
He also alleged that the rate of stealing in the Obaseki-led government was unprecedented, advising the people of the state not to allow the stealing to continue with his third-term agenda through Asue Ighodalo.
“In Edo State, do you know that the debt profile of the state at the moment is over N573 billion. That is what Edo State is owing now. During Adams Oshiomhole’s period, monthly allocation from the Federation Account was between N3.1 billion and N3.3 billion but today the allocation is between N11.1 billion and nothing to show for it.
“This outgoing government which Asue Ighodalo was the Chief Economic Adviser only inherited about N43 billion debt from Adams Oshiomhole, Lucky Igbinedion and Prof Oserhiemen Osunbor governments.
“When Oshiomhole was receiving between N3.1 billion and N3.3 billion work was going on in the state but with over N11 billion, Governor Obaseki has nothing to show for it”, he added.
Okpebholo, who said he was the best man for the governorship position as a result of his experience as a federal lawmaker, assured that when voted governor, he would change the narratives of governance for the betterment of the people.
He appealed to the farmers to come out en masse on election day to vote for him, assuring that his administration would place a premium on the empowerment of farmers as major stakeholders in addressing food insecurity.
He also alleged that Governor Obaseki would not stay in office to hand over to the next administration as a result of the misappropriation of state funds.
The APC governorship hopeful, also urged the electorate to use their Permanent Voters Cards, PVCs to punish PDP and its candidate.
“On September 21, 2024, it is just about a month from now, we will punish them with our votes. That our money they have been stealing since they would vomit it on that day.
“I am telling you that they will not stay to hand over power to the next government. They will run away. Do you know why they will run away? Because the money that belonged to you they have stolen it and used it to establish a bank, build a 10-storey building for Afrinvest in Lagos”, he stated.