A coalition of Edo State indigenes in the Diaspora has knocked outgoing Governor Godwin Obaseki for announcing Mr Asue Ighodalo, as the next governor of state.
The group under the umbrella of Edo In Diaspora Solidarity Movement (EIDSOM), through its leadership, Dr James Osagie based in Napoli, Italy said Edo people were more sophisticated beyond Godwin Obaseki’s comprehension.
In a press statement, the President of the group chided the Governor, who he claimed rode to power for his second term in office on the populist chant of “No godfatherism”.
He said it would be an anticlimax for the governor to come through the backdoor to impose a governor on Edo people.
“Everyone knows that Mr Asue Ighodalo is the Managing Director/CEO of Sterling Bank. Sterling Bank, the Bank of Edo State Government, warehouses all the funds of the State Government. All the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies were mandatorily directed to move all their accounts from other banks to Sterling Bank at the start of Obaseki’s administration in 2016.
“We’re in possession of some of the official letters Obaseki’s Government wrote to all the Ministry, Departments other Agencies of Government at the time.
“Thereafter, there were strong arm twisting policies of the bank in relation to these MDAs. Mr Asue Ighodalo and his bank which are supposed to have a strong bank-customer relationship and leverage the quantum of the deposit they have with the bank, resulted to bullying government institutions and senior government officials.
“This is the tragic case with Sterling Bank in Edo State over the last seven years under Governor Obaseki’s administration. Mr Asue Ighodalo has a take-it-or-leave-it attitude towards these MDAs and, even at times, reneged on agreed terms of 5% interest on bank balances.
“It’s not for nothing that Sterling Bank currently sponsors Insurance Football Club of Benin and has been involved in every single project carried out by the state”, the press statement reads.
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