The media aide to former Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki, Crusoe Osagie, has criticized Governor Monday Okpebholo’s decision to set up a 14-member committee to probe Obaseki’s administration, describing the move as a smokescreen to conceal incompetence and a lack of direction.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Osagie labeled the probe as “meaningless” and “laughable,” asserting that it is intended to distract from what he called Okpebholo’s glaring inadequacies in governance.
“This is another in the barrage of meaningless probes launched by the Monday Okpebholo administration since taking office through a contested mandate,” Osagie stated.
He argued that the initiative reflects a lack of vision and creativity in addressing the state’s developmental needs.
According to him, “Our attention has been drawn to a laughable and utterly ridiculous statement by the Monday Okpebholo administration setting up a 14-member state assets verification committee to probe the administration of his predecessor, His Excellency, Godwin Obaseki.
“This is another in the list of the barrage of meaningless probes which the governor and his directionless government is embarking on since they got into Dennis Osadebey Avenue through the back door.”
Osagie further accused the administration of engaging in unnecessary probes, from investigating civil servants’ employment to scrutinizing ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) and state-owned assets.
“These charades of empty probes are merely buying time and masking incompetence,” he stated, adding, “Edo people have already seen him for who he truly is: a politician out of his depth who has become a tool in the hands of his many godfathers thirsty for vendetta.”
Highlighting Obaseki’s record, Osagie noted that the previous administration was characterized by transparency, accountability, and fiscal discipline, which contributed to its success across various sectors.
“It is on record that the Obaseki administration achieved an unprecedented level of transparency in governance, laying a solid foundation for fiscal discipline, which was why it was able to accomplish the numerous milestones recorded across various sectors of the state,” the statement read.
Osagie advised Governor Okpebholo to prioritize governance and focus on improving the lives of Edo people instead of resorting to what he termed “diversionary probes.”
“Edo people are watching, and this short-span government, which lasts until the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) reclaims its mandate duly given to it by Edo voters, will be judged not by the noise it makes but by the impact it delivers,” he concluded.
