APC Explains Excluding Obaseki from Edo Inauguration Over Disruption Concerns

The All Progressives Congress (APC) transition committee announced on Sunday that outgoing Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki was not invited to Senator Monday Okpebholo's inauguration as the state's new governor, claiming Obaseki intended to disrupt the ceremony.

Senator Monday Okpebholo, the APC candidate, was declared governor-elect after defeating his primary opponent, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and 15 other candidates in the September 21, 2024, governorship election. Okpebholo will succeed Obaseki, whose eight-year term concludes on November 12, 2024.

Prince Kassim Afegbua, an APC transition committee member, stated in a press release titled “Obaseki and his Lamentations” that rather than working toward a smooth transition, Obaseki was creating obstacles. Afegbua denied Obaseki’s claim that the governor-elect had borrowed between N2 billion and N5 billion from nearly N27 billion set aside for projects and other inauguration obligations.

Obaseki recently expressed his concerns about not being invited to the inauguration, claiming, “We have almost N27 billion to pay for projects and obligations, but they have started blowing it, and they have gone to borrow money for the inauguration which is going to cost them N2 to N5 billion. That is the money they will first take from the treasury... It is like they are starting a brand new government and a brand new State."

In response, the APC transition committee described Obaseki’s comments as “generously laughable and self-indicting,” noting that an outgoing leader would normally oversee the inauguration in other contexts. The statement added that despite their attempts to cooperate, the APC had faced “frustration and a deliberate plot” from Obaseki’s administration, which they alleged was impeding the transition with unnecessary decisions.

Afegbua stated that the committee had rejected the state government’s request for an inauguration budget. The governor-elect then personally assumed the inauguration’s financial responsibilities, scaling back on planned activities for a more modest ceremony.

“We have not borrowed a kobo from anywhere. We are not Governor Obaseki and his profligate self,” Afegbua stated, emphasizing the governor-elect’s intent to focus on serving Edo’s citizens rather than extravagant displays.

Afegbua further alleged that most government vehicles had been taken by officials, leaving only one operational vehicle at the Edo State Government House. "Why should we borrow money because of the inauguration? Every vehicle has been carted away. Is that a government that is interested in inauguration?" he questioned.