Ex-federal lawmaker accuses Obaseki of corruption, asks governor to account for N250bn IGR

A former Deputy Majority Whip of the House of Representatives, Pally Iriase, on Tuesday accused the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, of official corruption.

The former lawmaker, in a chat with journalists in Abuja, also called for the probe of the governor for allegedly collecting N250 billion as revenue in the last four years.

He said: “You will recall that in a chat with newsmen at Abuja Airport on 30th December 2019, I said the problem a lot of us have with Governor Godwin Obaseki was that of lackluster performance.

“I also stated that the contrived crisis with Comrade Adams Oshiomhole was a ploy to divert attention from the government’s non-performance.

“However, instead of the governor taking up the challenge and itemizing his performance across the state, his media minders went on the offensive and dared to insinuate that my position was not based on facts.

“A further attempt to shut me up was an infantile directive to their campaign group in Owan East LGA to announce, albeit ineffectively, my so called suspension from APC.

“I remain a highly reputed founding member and a respected leader of the party and a critical stakeholder in Edo State.

“I have, therefore, decided to address the press today, in order to debunk the aforementioned insinuation by giving eye-popping facts about the finances of Edo State in the first three years of Obaseki’s government.

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“And to enlighten the Edo people to begin to ask relevant questions about the state of affairs rather than accepting the wrong campaign agenda, based on a non-existent but contrived crisis, being set by the Government of Edo State.

“I have set out, in the appendix attached hereto, the net revenue that accrued to Godwin Obaseki’s administration, from Federation Allocation Account (FAAC) and Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), month by month and year by year, in the last three years ending in November 2019.

“The figures were extracted from very reliable, incontrovertible and corroborated sources, namely National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) and Federal Ministry of Finance.

“From the figures, it is clear that Edo State Government received over N250bn in three years to November 2019. This revenue is net amount after all deductions.”

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