On Monday, November 25, Fred Itua, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Monday Okpebholo, made a surprising announcement that almost 500 vehicles belonging to the Edo State Government are still missing. This is a significant update to the earlier claim that 200 vehicles were unaccounted for.
Itua shared the latest findings from the vehicle recovery committee, which is being led by Kelly Okungbowa. He explained that the actual number of missing vehicles was much higher than originally reported. “So far, the committee set up to recover vehicles, as of this morning from findings that I made, they had recovered about 10 vehicles,” he said during a broadcast on Channels Television’s Lunchtime Politics on Monday.
He added, “From the conversation I had with the chairman of that committee, he said that the initial figure of 200 was understated, that there are almost 500 vehicles that are still missing, and as of yesterday, they had traced about 21 of those vehicles to the house of a very top appointee of the last government.”
Itua further mentioned that some of the missing vehicles were linked to a former official of the previous government of Governor Godwin Obaseki. “Then, another – about 15 – traced to the house of another top appointee of Obaseki’s government, and in the coming days, they intend to legitimately recover these vehicles and other assets belonging to the state that are being held in private hands, which ordinarily should not have happened.”
The Chief Press Secretary also pointed out that some officials from the Okpebholo administration don’t have vehicles, claiming that the current government inherited nothing from Obaseki. This investigation is part of a broader inquiry into the administration of Obaseki, which concluded about three weeks ago.
Obaseki, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had been defeated by Okpebholo’s candidate, Asue Ighodalo, in the September 21 governorship election. Okpebholo, who belongs to the All Progressives Congress (APC), recently set up a committee to investigate the previous administration. He explained that the probe is part of the governor’s promise to ensure transparency, accountability, and good governance.
However, Obaseki’s media aide, Crusoe Osagie, dismissed the investigation, accusing Okpebholo of using it as a distraction. “We know what their plans are with the diversionary probes. It is just a smokescreen to mask the governor-elect’s incompetence and unpreparedness for office, having come into power through a stolen mandate,” Osagie said.
He added, “We want to advise Okpebholo to focus on governance and improving the lives of Edo people rather than waste state resources masking his incompetence in meaningless probes.”
