Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State on Tuesday disclosed that the 18 suspended local government chairmen allegedly remitted about N12 billion to leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) within 15 months.
Okpebholo made this revelation while hosting the acting chairmen and councillors of the 18 local councils in Government House, Benin.
Commending the acting chairmen and councillors for their commitment to upholding democracy and ensuring transparency at the local council level, the governor emphasised that council funds are not the personal property of any individual, regardless of their status.
He said: “When I assumed office, I held a meeting with the Accountant-General, who showed me some financial records. Some of the expenditures had no explanations.
“I became particularly interested when I saw an item labelled ‘Environmental Security Funding.’ I had never heard of such a provision before, and the amount involved was enormous—N800 million every month. These chairmen were contributing this money and handing it over to party leaders.”
Okpebholo said this discovery prompted a meeting with the chairmen to clarify the funds allocated to environmental security, but they failed to provide explanations.
“I invited the chairmen, but I couldn’t meet with them personally. My deputy met with them instead and asked for explanations regarding certain expenditures. None of them could provide answers. They were asked to submit their financial records, and they agreed to do so within 24 hours. However, my deputy extended the deadline to 48 hours.
“Despite this, none of them submitted their records even after two weeks. In response, I wrote to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate their financial dealings.
“As a former parliamentarian, I understand the oversight functions of the legislature. Therefore, I also wrote to the Edo State House of Assembly (EDHA). The Assembly invited the chairmen, but they refused to appear, leading to their suspension for two months.”
The governor further accused the chairmen of engaging in wasteful expenditures, stating: “These chairmen were mismanaging funds even when our schools lacked teachers. In some primary schools, you find only two or three teachers where there should be 10 to 12.”
