26th June, 2016
The leadership of the Accord Party (AP) on Sunday asked the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the September 10 governorship poll in Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, to explain his role in the alleged #5.5 billion fraudulent dealings involving real estate development by a company in which he holds a substantial share.
The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP also on Sunday called on the House of Representatives and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to expedite action on the alleged N5.5 billion fraud against the APC governorship candidate.
Accord Party’s statement followed a petition read on the floor of the lower chamber seeking investigation of the APC candidate.
But the APC flagbearer had in an interview last week, described the allegation as “one of those scams” he had “nothing” to do with, as he was only a shareholder sitting on the board of the company.
“It is one of those scams; they wrote to the EFCC, the committee on public prosecution. So, if someone is owing you, is there not a civil process to go through? Why should it be an EFCC matter? But it has nothing to do with me. I didn’t manage the company; I am just a shareholder and on the board of the company. I didn’t take money from anybody,” Obaseki had explained.
The National Secretary of AP, Dr. Samson Isibor, who in a statement on Sunday, described the explanation as “shallow,” urged the APC candidate to come out clean before embarking on campaigns as the allegation is too weighty.
“Edo people are wiser now and will never make the mistake of voting for a suspect because they have suffered enough in the past,” Isibor said.
Meanwhile, the State Chairman of PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, told journalists during a press briefing that the party’s investigation at the Corporate Affairs Commission revealed that the Obaseki allegedly appropriated to himself the shares of the late Idisi.
He also vowed to expose more documents of alleged fraudulent activities of the APC candidate “in collaboration with Adams Oshiomhole, to defraud Edo State.”
Orbih explained that as against an alleged agreement which gave the late Idisi an option of appointing a new Chairman, the APC candidate allegedly appropriated to himself the control of 36 million shares in the company.
“From the records available before us, it is clear that Godwin Obaseki, the APC candidate, through this transaction, had fraudulently accrued to himself the 36 million share capital hitherto held by the family of Humphery Idisi.
“This is fraudulent, this is unacceptable and we want say that the present attempt by Godwin Obaseki and his German collaborators to frustrate the public hearing by members of the House of Representatives will not hold,” Orbih said.
Orbih added, “Hence, we are using this opportunity to call on the EFCC to look into it.”
The PDP chairman called on the electorate to key into the campaign of the PDP and its governorship candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, who he described as a “man of God.”