Edo transition committee meeting stalls over document dispute

The Edo State Joint Transition Committee meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, was delayed due to disagreements over the provision of critical documents necessary for the session.

The committee, which comprises members of outgoing Governor Godwin Obaseki’s administration and the team of governor-elect Senator Monday Okpebholo, failed to convene as expected.

At last week’s inaugural meeting, the Secretary to the State Government, Joseph Eboigbe, had commended Obaseki for maintaining transparent financial records. Eboigbe had also promised to provide both hard and soft copies of all relevant documents to the Dr. Pius Odubu-led Transition Committee.

However, on Tuesday, only a handful of secretariat staff from Obaseki’s team were seen at the venue, while the All Progressives Congress transition team members were notably absent.

Speaking to journalists, the Secretary of the APC Transition Committee, Hon. Patrick Ikhariale, confirmed the absence was due to the unavailability of necessary documents ahead of the meeting.

According to him, the APC team had requested copies of the required documents 24 hours in advance, a request that was not met.

He explained, “We made it clear in our communication, both oral and written, that we expected all documents to be provided to us at least 24 hours before any scheduled meeting. Unfortunately, what was provided by the Obaseki team did not meet our expectations.”

Ikhariale noted that despite several communications, the documents supplied by the Obaseki-led team fell short of addressing specific concerns raised by the APC team.

He highlighted that their inquiries pertained to financial matters, grants, expenditures, and other key areas, adding, “We have 23 specific areas of interest which we communicated to them. What we received so far mainly showcased the achievements of the Obaseki administration, which is not the focus of our request.”

He further revealed that the APC team is drafting a letter to formally request the outstanding documents to allow the transition process to continue.

“We’re not asking for anything beyond standard practice,” Ikhariale said. “Our focus is to gain clarity on key areas such as financial expenditure, grants, and other crucial matters. Once the required documents are provided, we can proceed with the meeting,” he added.

The next meeting is expected to be rescheduled once both parties come to an agreement on the necessary documentation.