Governorship election aftermath: Edo councils providing funding for PDP court cases – Itua

By Emmanuel Iriogbe, Abuja.

Chief Press Secretary to the Edo state Governor, Fred Itua has alleged that Local Government Councils in Edo state have been providing life support for the People Democratic Party (PDP), especially in funding the party’s court cases against the state government.

Itua alleged that the councils under the previous PDP-led government in the state abandoned their core responsibilities and took up the roles of vote-buying, intimidations of political opponents, and siphoning of resources.

Recall that the PDP and its candidate in the September 21, governorship election in Edo state, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, are challenging the victory of Governor Monday Okpebholo at the poll.

However, the 18 local government councils in the state are under the firm control of the PDP.

The governor’s spokesman made the disclosure in an article titled: “Matters of Bitterness versus Okpebholo’s Increasing Trust in Edo State”.

He noted: “One of the core values of Governor Okpebholo’s administration is that workers’ salaries and emoluments must be prioritised and non-negotiable.

“And predictably, the PDP vehemently protested the Governor’s demand for transparency, preferring the councils to remain its life support, especially in funding their court cases against the Government.

“The local government councils were already weighed down by the huge spending on court cases and party leaders, such that they got little or nothing for their primary duties like salaries,” Itua added.

Continuing, the governor’s spokesman said though the PDP has the right to criticism, he cautioned that such criticism must be constructive and devoid of fallacies and misrepresentations.

He alleged that the PDP in Edo state has adopted a strategy of sabotage after its crushing defeat in the 2024 governorship election.