Oshiomole warns Edo people, beware of looters seeking your vote

Ahead of the September 10 governorship election in Edo State, the State Governor, Adams Oshiomole has admonished electorates in the state to be wary of corrupt politicians seeking their vote.

Speaking during a courtesy visit to his Lagos State counterpart, Akinwunmi Ambode, on Tuesday, Oshiomole described those seeking to take over the state in the upcoming election as self-confessed treasury looters.

The governor also disclosed that the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, inherited a federal treasury that was “completely bastardised” by persons whom he alleged made “statement to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, saying they collected N500m and N700m respectively.”

According to Oshiomole, “I know there are a lot of people who don’t quite understand what is going on. Our party inherited a federal treasury that was completely bastardised, emptied, emptied from the vaults to soak away pits, to farm houses, and even in Edo here, the people who are asking for Edo people’s votes are those who have already made statements to the EFCC that they collected N500m, N700m.

“That is already N1.2bn and their leader confessed in his own right that he collected N300m from the money meant to secure Nigerians against terrorist group called Boko Haram. It is people who diverted such money, who collected it, and they have owned up to it in black and white in their handwriting, that are asking Edo people to surrender the state.”

Re-echoeing the stance of the party regarding finance, the governor said the APC had a clear message which is “the wealth of the state belongs to the masses.”

“For us, our campaign message is cut out for us. The choice is between a bunch of people whose philosophy is ‘share the state money’ and those who believe that the state money belongs to the people, and the task is for the governor to manage it in a way that will deliver prosperity to the people.

“We believe the election will be won on the basis of the pedigree of the political parties, the pedigree of the individual and what the two parties have to show to the people,” he added.