Fresh Trouble Brews in Edo as Gov Obaseki Locks Horn with Assembly Members

By Reporter

Chinua Achebe wrote in ‘Things Fall Apart’ that the tortoise represented the white men who came as missionaries and colonialists. They promised good things to all the villagers, but then the white men tricked the natives. In the process, they became scared as well.

And so, members of the Edo State House of Assembly may have decided to cut their umbilical cord with the executive over Obaseki’s refusal to buy their official vehicles.

Unconfirmed sources revealed that they are allegedly accusing Obaseki of misappropriation of funds approved for the purchase of vehicles for assembly members, renovation of their official quarters, as well as worrisome illegal deductions from local government accounts.

Like the white men in Achebe’s classical novel, the house members may have sensed that they may become Obaseki’s latest victims of ‘promise and fail’ and have chosen the battle of the gullet quickly to draw blood.

Midwest Herald gathered too, that the angry legislators are also accusing Obaseki of turning them to squatters in hotels due to his failure to complete the renovation of the legislators quarter located on Ihama road, Benin City.

A situation they claimed has left some of them indebted to banks, individual money lenders and hotels in Edo State.

As at press time, the angry legislators have decided to form a common bi-partisan front to confront Obaseki in order to bend his hands on their welfare.

A member of the group who spoke to Midwest Herald earlier today, insisted that, “The governor must bring out every kobo that was approved for the renovation of the legislators quarters and the N1.5b supplementary budget that was passed by last assembly for members’ official vehicles.”

They have threatened to withhold discussion and approval of any Bill or request sent to the house by Obaseki until their demand for official vehicles and suitable accommodation are concluded.

A legislator from Edo South lamented the “staggering number of uncompleted projects across the state” and blamed it on the “fiscal rascality” of Governor Obaseki.

Some of the Local Government Council Chairmen who were invited by the legislators, accused the state government of deducting N45million from their October allocation from the Federation Account Committee which made it impossible for them to ‘service’ their respective legislators.

There is also the allegation that the Local Government Council Chairmen were recently levied forced to sponsor the ongoing Betsy Obaseki Women’s Football Tournament (BOWFT). A message to the first lady to get her reaction on the allegation had not received any response at Press time.

“Good day your excellency, kindly let’s have your response that local government chairmen have been burdened with levies to sponsor the ongoing BOWFT. Midwest Herald would like to balance a report it has received . This is urgent please,” the request for information from Edo State first lady stated.

However, Midwest Herald can authoritatively report that the official Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV) ordered by the state government have started arriving in batches.