Edo Governor Obaseki Is In Lagos; He Didn’t Flee Nigeria As Claimed By Gov-elect

Edo Governor Obaseki Is In Lagos; He Didn’t Flee Nigeria As Claimed By Gov-elect

Outgoing Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki has been spotted in Lagos, contrary to claims by governor-elect Senator Monday Okpebholo that Obaseki had fled Nigeria.

This news comes from sources who informed SaharaReporters of the sighting on Sunday evening.

Godwin Obaseki has been the Governor of Edo State since 2016. His initial election was under the All Progressives Congress (APC) but he later joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Okpebholo had accused Obaseki of fleeing Nigeria through the land borders.

Okpebholo is expected to be sworn into office on Tuesday, meaning that Obaseki will lose his immunity.

Obaseki last week said he heard that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was planning to arrest him after the expiration of his tenure as governor.

In a statement made available to journalists on Sunday and signed by his media aide, Godspower Inegbe, Okpebholo said Obaseki’s whereabouts were unknown.

The statement accused Obaseki of chasing out everyone from the Government House on Friday before escaping to a yet-to-be known location days before his official departure from office.

“As of Friday, 8th of November, the whereabouts of Obaseki are unknown. He has chased everyone out of Edo State Government House. He has abandoned governance in the State, and he is on the run.

“He has escaped through the road out of Benin. He did not pass through the airport. If he is as popular as he claims, why did he not use the airport to escape? Instead, he hired a bus and disguised while escaping from Edo State.

“Obaseki is trying to push out these narratives in order to distract the public. His antics will not work. We know his plans, and we will continue to expose his shenanigans to Edo people,” the statement read.

However, SaharaReporters learnt that Obaseki was spotted in Lagos on Sunday evening.

“Obaseki did not flee Nigeria; it is a lie. There was nothing like that. He is in Lagos right now as I speak so there is no truth to the claim made by the governor-elect,” one of the sources said.

Obaseki, on Saturday, claimed that Senator Okpebholo did not invite him to his inauguration slated for next Tuesday.

“Obaseki will soon lose his immunity and if he continues to make his baseless claims, he will face the full wrath of the law very soon and he will prove his unfounded allegations when he is dragged to court,” Okpebholo warned in the statement.