Outgoing Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki was recently seen in Lagos, countering allegations from governor-elect Senator Monday Okpebholo that Obaseki had fled the country.
Sources confirmed Obaseki’s presence in Lagos on Sunday evening.
Obaseki has served as the Governor of Edo State since 2016, initially elected under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) before switching to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Senator Okpebholo had earlier accused Obaseki of leaving Nigeria through land borders.
With Okpebholo set to be sworn in on Tuesday, Obaseki will lose his immunity from prosecution.
Last week, Obaseki mentioned that he had received information about a potential arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) once his term ended.
In a statement released on Sunday and signed by his media aide, Godspower Inegbe, Okpebholo alleged that Obaseki’s location was unknown.
The statement claimed that Obaseki cleared out the Government House on Friday before leaving for an undisclosed location days ahead of his official departure.
“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, reports indicate that Obaseki was indeed 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 told Bellnews.