Igbinedion vs Oshiomhole: Fight between two Edo brothers rages

The accusations and counter-accusations of corrupt practices between the governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole, and a former governor of the state, Lucky Igbinedion, may not end any time soon.

Igbinedion in what is a desperate bid to clear his name of any wrong doing in government, in a statement recently pointed accusing fingers at Oshiomhole, accusing him of squandering trillions of Federal Allocations and Internal Generated Revenue he collected in the last seven years.

His counter-accusations come on the heels of Oshiomhole's allegation that the state was literally pauperized under Igbinedion and his family as a whole.

In a statement by Igbinedion, released to the press on Saturday, November 14, 2015, he claimed that he was going to expose  to expose Oshiomhole at the appropriate time.

It will be recalled that Oshiomhole had said on Wednesday, November 11, 2015 that he had begun moves to recover $31 million "fraudulently taken" from the state coffers by Igbinedion's administration. He had also vowed to publish records of fraud allegedly perpetrated by Igbinedion, with the promise to forward all the files containing the alleged fraud to Abuja for prosecution.

Oshiomhole had also accused the ex-governor and his father, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, of allegedly converting government properties and funds meant for the people of the state to private use.

The governor had said his feud with the Igbinedion family started when he revoked the over 200,000 hectares of government land, which the former governor allegedly gave to his father in Okada, as well as the termination of the Memorandum of Understanding the ex-governor allegedly signed with his father.

The MoU, Oshiomhole alleged, was to allow "the medical students in Igbinedion University to use our state-owned hospital at the expense of the Edo State Government while Chief Igbinedion collects N1m from each medical student."

Igbinedion, however, said records of activities during his tenure were open to the public.

He said, "I have made it very clear time without numbers that the files of my tenure are there for everybody who cares to ask to check. I do not intend to dignify Adams Oshiomhole any longer by joining issue with him.

"He should explain to the people of Edo State how he spent the federal allocations and internal generated revenues running into trillions naira in seven years.

"He should tell the people of Edo how much he is paying as land tax for his house in Iyamho worth over N10bn and other properties he has acquired in the last seven years in Dubai, Cape Town in South Africa, in San Francisco, United States of America, a high rise apartment in Atlanta also in America and in London. He is calling everybody a thief but Oshiomhole is the biggest thief in Benin City today.

"He lives in the glass house and throwing stones. President Muhammadu Buhari will soon find out the real Oshiomhole by the time we provide documents against him."