Francis Ogbuagu 
The joint transition committee set up by outgoing Governor, Godwin Obaseki’s administration and Governor-Elect, Sen. Monday Okpebholo’s incoming administration has reached an impasses.
The 24-member APC committee, led by former Deputy Governor, Pius Odubu, boycotted Tuesday’s meeting, reportedly due to the government’s failure to provide specific documents for review beforehand.
According to APC Transition Committee Secretary, Hon. Patrick Ikhariale, “The truth remains that we have had series of communications, both oral and written. No meeting could have been proposed for today because in our letters to them, we have insisted that anything we want to do, they must send to us advance copies of whatever we want to do 24 hours before the meeting.”
Ikhariale emphasized that the documents provided so far did not meet their expectations, as they sought specific information on monetary issues, expenditures, grants, and NGOs, among 23 areas of interest.
“What has been supplied to us so far… is showcasing the achievements of the Obaseki regime.
That’s not the focus of the request we made.”
The APC committee has forwarded a letter to the government, requesting the necessary documents and proposing a joint meeting upon receipt. This development follows Obaseki’s establishment of a 20-man transition committee in June 2024, headed by Secretary to the Edo State Government, Joseph Eboigbe.
At the opening session last week, Eboigbe praised Obaseki’s clean financial records and promised to provide hard copies of all records to the APC transition committee.
However, only a few secretariat staff were present at Tuesday’s meeting, while APC members were noticeably absent.
The deadlock underscores the challenges in ensuring a smooth transition between the outgoing and incoming administrations in Edo State.
