Oshiomhole Spends $75m Loan On Campaign, PDP Senator Alleges

Senator Matthew Urhoghide, lawmaker representing Edo South in the National Assembly, on Monday, alleged that Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the state governor, has been spending the $75 million World Bank loan to the state on his party campaign for the September 10 governorship poll.

Senator Urhoghide who also alleged that the Oshiomhole’s administration had plunged the state into debt in excess of $500 million, disclosed that the PDP in the state was computing the total sum of loans received by the Oshiomhole administration and would inform the people of the state the exact figure before the governorship election.

Comrade Oshiomhole is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) while Senator Urhoghide is of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The Senator, who is the Director-General of the campaign organisation of the PDP governorship candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, said it was ironical that while Governor Oshiomhole daily castigated the Goodluck Jonathan administration for using security votes to fund a presidential election, he had been busy sharing World Bank loan, designed for developmental projects, to fund a governorship election.

He pointed out that the Oshiomhole administration did not have a policy framework.

Hear him: “He (Oshiomhole) is ruled by instincts that are sudden. His government has always been propelled by his instincts and there is no basis or principles that guide his government.

“He said he was going to create jobs in the private sector with the first tranche. Jobs were not created.

“He said he was going to use it for industrial development in the private sector, but he didn’t do it.

“The money he is collecting is for election. I believe Oshiomhole is sponsoring this election from the second tranche of the $75 million World Bank loan. That is over N20 billion at the present exchange rate.

“What we owe is in excess of $500 million. If you have collected $75 million twice, that amounts to $150 million from the World Bank. The thing is in three tranches and it is actually $225 million.

“He also took loan from other agencies and money lending institutions across the world? He is busy taking all these loans while pensioners are suffering.

“How much does he need to pay pensioners? Can you believe that he gave some market women N120 million some days ago?”

Kassim Afegbua, Edo State Commissioner for Information, has, however, denied the allegation, saying the allegation was laughable and that it was impossible to divert loan made available for development projects by a reputable organisation such as the World Bank.

He said: “World Bank loan is an infrastructural loan tied to specific projects. You can’t take from the World Bank and spend it on election; it is not possible.

“But with the PDP, anything is possible. If they can spend Nigeria’s savings, why won’t they think like that?

“At first, Dan Orbih (Edo PDP Chairman) said we used black market to change the money. Now, a senator from a padding National Assembly is telling us another story. I think they are confused.”

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  1. February 14, 2024

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