Oshiomhole accused as PDP petitions ICPC over vehicles ‘illegally’ given to Edo Ex-Speaker Ativie

The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has moved to recover official vehicles allegedly illegally given to the former speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Hon Elisabeth Ativie, by Adams Oshiomhole, immediate past governor of the state.

The party announced that it had mandated the law firm of Dr. Ehiogie West Idahosa to help recover the vehicles for the State House of Assembly.

This move followed the refusal of Hon Ativie to return the official vehicles over claims that Oshiomhole gave them to her because she agreed to step down as speaker. She also claimed that she registered the vehicles in her name and had even sold one of them.

The vehicles in question include two Hilux vans, one Lexus jeep and one Toyota Prado jeep.

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But Dan Orbih, state chairman of the PDP, while briefing the press on Sunday, said the mandate to the law firm was a follow-up on the party’s call on security agencies to question Oshiomhole over missing government vehicles.

Orbih claimed that the party had to hire the law firm following alleged plot by Governor Godwin Obaseki and other APC leaders to cover up the matter, resolving to treat it like a mere party affair.

He further explained that the law firm had the party’s mandate to ensure that all persons involved in criminal acquisition of state properties are prosecuted, claiming that the market value of the vehicles with the former Speaker was N128m.

Orbih also disclosed that the party would soon file a petition on how Oshiomhole distributed 346 brand new vehicles bought with government money to different people of varied interest shortly before he left office.

According to him, “Issues bothering on criminal acquisition of state properties must be treated with utmost seriousness.

“It is in the light of the development that the PDP mandated the legal firm of West Idahosa to swing into action to ensure that the vehicles in question are retrieved and returned to government.

“Meanwhile, PDP lawyer, West Idahosa has petitioned the ICPC on behalf of the PDP, informing the agency that ‘this is one matter we will not allow them to sweep under the carpet’. They cannot take it as an internal affair of the APC.

“The anti- corruption crusade of the current government should be all embracing. It should not spare those who belong to members of APC.”

In the petition sent to the ICPC, Hon Ativie is accused of violating sections 10, 19 and 23 of the ICPC Acts.

The party also threatened to obtain an order of Mandamus to compel the ICPC to commence criminal prosecution of all those named in the petition if the commission failed to act on the petition within seven working days.

 

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