Legal Adviser to Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State, Andrew Adaze Emwanta, has explained that the reason for the delay in constituting a full state executive council is to accommodate politicians who defected from opposition political parties and not because of the pending Supreme Court judgement in the petition challenging his victory at the September 21, 2024, gubernatorial election.
Dismissing insinuation that Governor Okpebholo was waiting for the apex court’s ruling before appointing full cabinet members, Emwanta, a constitutional lawyer, said it was wrong to attribute the delay to the expected final court pronouncement.
Newsmata.com.ng recalls that only nine commissioners have been appointed and sworn in since November 12, 2024, when the governor came into office.
Speaking in an interview in Akure, Ondo State capital at the weekend , Emwanta, who insisted that Governor Okpebholo has not committed any constitutional breach, having appointed some commissioners and special advisers into key ministries, said “That is not the reason. If he were waiting for the Supreme Court judgement, he would not have appointed the first set of Commissioners. This is the first Governor in Edo history to announce some members of his cabinet on the day of inauguration.
“Heads of agencies have been appointed. Government is moving in full throttle. There are people who joined us from the Labour Party and the Peoples Democratic Party. We have to accommodate them”.
Emwanta stated that Governor Okpebholo inherited lots of decay from his predecessor (Godwin Obaseki) and would not want any excuses from appointees when he (Okpebholo) began delivering on his five-point agenda.
On the fate of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP chieftains whose houses were marked for demolition for alleged cult-related activities, Emwanta said the police were still investigating the allegations.
Giving insight into why some contractors were yet to return to site, Emwanta alleged that Obaseki left over N600bn debt in road contracts and that many of the contracts were being reviewed. He said Okpebholo had promised not to abandon any project.
He said, “When the government came on board, the debts the previous administration owed only for road contracts was over N600bn. In the twilight of that administration, they started awarding contracts to their cronies. Those are some of the things that are being looked at and the Governor has made promises to communities.
Clarifying issues surrounding the controversial Museum for West African Arts, MOWAA, said the governor did not change his mind on his earlier position on the project, but that he got a better perspective after the Assets Verification Committee submitted its report.
Emwanta posited that “The Governor never said he was going to revoke anything. He just expressed dismay with the manner some of those transactions were done. Edo State committed N3.5bn to the building of MOWAA. It provided premises. And again, the fact that you had to do a change of views; you had a hospital there, you had to demolish a hospital. I think that was what angered the Governor.
“It is not that he was going to abandon the project because of the international interest involved because funding of that place, more than 80% of the funds actually comes from Europe. I mean, for lovers of art and the rest. The Governor is already partnering with them, and he said all projects from previous administration will be completed. He will complete them”.