Trouble For Gov Obaseki As EFCC Arrests Edo Accountant General, Others

• Gov’s cronies kick, slam anti-graft for playing ‘dirty politics’ days to handover

Trouble may be brewing for outgoing Governor Godwin Obaseki as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) now has in its custody the State Accountant General, Mr. Julius O. Anelu, and four other officials of the Edo State government.

Confirmed reports showed that all the officials reportedly taken in by the anti-graft agency are signatories to the Edo State government accounts.

This development, coming less than 11 days for Obaseki to hand over the reins of power to Governor-elect, Senator Monday Okpebholo, of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is said to have thrown the Obaseki’s camp into panic mode given the need to sort out certain financial commitments before the hand-over date.

Competent sources familiar with the arrest hinted that the five government officials, reportedly picked up on Thursday, October 31, 2024, are currently cooling their feet at the EFCC’s Benin Zonal office with “no particular charges brought against them”.

However, the sources averred that the officials’ predicament may not be unconnected with the moves by the incoming APC administration’s bid to forestall last minute arbitrary withdrawals from the State account after the Edo State House of Assembly allegedly approved the budget about two weeks to the new administration’s inauguration scheduled for November 12, 2024.

As expected, Forefront News gathered that the arrest has led to some government activities involving financial transactions grinding to a halt with the State unable to service its commitments such emoluments and pensions due to civil servants and other public servants.

Also affected in the process are statutory payments such as security bills among other obligations.

With the position of things, some close associates of Governor Obaseki have slammed the anti-corruption Commission for playing ‘dirty politics’ with the lives of Edo people who are adversely affected by the State government’s inability to honour certain financial commitment at the moment because of the arrest.

Thy accused the Commission of deliberately moving to keep the arrested officials in custody until after November 12 inauguration that effectively terminates the Obaseki eight-year tenure.

Though the EFCC spokesman in Edo Zonal office, Williams Oseghale, simply directed enquiries to the Commission’s Public Relations Officer, Dele Oyewale, there has been no official response from the anti-graft agency as it relates to the arrest and possible reasons behind the officials’ temporary incarceration