Edo: APC transition committee shuns meeting with government team

The sitting of the Edo State Government and the All Progressives Congress, APC, Joint Transition Committee on Tuesday suffered a setback as the APC team accused the government of not providing it with the needed documents.

DAILY POST reports that Patrick Ikhariale, a member of the APC committee, disclosed this to newsmen in Benin City.

Ikhariale added that both parties have agreed to meet when the required information or documents are made available to them.

He said the APC Transition Committee members have had a series of discussions with the transition committee on the side of the outgoing government.

According to him: “The nature of the materials that they (the government team) have supplied to us does not address any of the issues on the table.

“We have interfaced with the relevant officers of the government, including the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Joseph Eboigbe, and they agreed with us to do exactly what we asked for, because what they had supplied us at best has not addressed the issue substantially in any form, and we have expected by this morning that that will be done.

“We also had a meaningful and strong discussion. We need a set of documents that will address the issues we have raised, and that is where we are.

“We also agreed that today (Tuesday) he (Eboigbe) has to discuss with His Excellency, Governor Godwin Obaseki and get back to us. In any case, the information or documents we’re asking for are in line with global best practices. We are not asking for anything out of the ordinary. So it is on record that we have done the needful.

“As we speak, a letter has been sent to them and we do hope that what we have discussed and agreed on as of Monday will be executed for us to progress and have the joint meetings we are supposed to have and that is the position.”

He added that the governor-elect’s transition team is waiting for Eboigbe to reach out to the governor.

Ikhariale explained that the governor-elect’s committee also urged the outgoing government’s team to provide it with whatever document or information they want to give them at least 24 hours before their meeting.

He opined that would enable them to look through the documents, peruse and have an informed position on what to discuss so that they won’t go into the meeting and be discussing in abstract or discussing things that are not relevant to the subject matter of the day.

“Hopefully, if today or tomorrow we get the required information and documents, we will reconvene and do the needful,” he added.

DAILY POST recalls that last Friday, during the inauguration of the joint committee, Dr Pius Odubu, the former Deputy Governor of the State and chairman of the APC committee, called on the outgoing government not to hide any documents from them.

Odubu opined that the documents would enable the incoming government to hit the ground running.

Meanwhile, the Governor Obaseki transition committee alleged that the APC team shunned today’s (October 22, 2024) joint sitting.

The committee stated: “At 8:00 am on Tuesday, 22nd October 2024, members of the Obaseki-led State Government team started arriving at the venue for the meeting alongside the Committee Chairman, Secretary to Edo State Government, Mr. Joseph Eboigbe.

“The government team and journalists waited patiently for the arrival of members of the APC transition committee team, who never showed up even after 1:00 pm when they left the venue.”

Edo: APC transition committee shuns meeting with government team