Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has said that he has not been invited to the swearing-in ceremony of the Governor-elect, Monday Okpebholo, scheduled for Tuesday.
Obaseki stated this on Friday during the inauguration of the caretaker committee for the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party in Benin City, the state capital.
The governor claimed that the All Progressives Congress was planning the inauguration without consulting him or involving the state government in the preparations.
He said, “Somebody has to be sworn in. Sworn into a government that exists. You don’t just come from nowhere and start a government. There is already a government. There is a way things are done.
“The government of Edo State is inaugurating a new governor on Tuesday. But what you are seeing now is just the posters. The government of Edo State is not involved.”
Obaseki condemned the APC’s actions as lawless, asserting that the state government should oversee the inauguration programme.
He continued, “So, it is absurd when people behave the way they are behaving as if there are no laws in the country. I just sit down sometimes and wonder.
“Are we okay as a country? We are guided by the constitution, laws, precedents, and procedures.
“So, they are holding an inauguration, and I, as the governor, don’t even know. I’ve not even been invited. It’s as if they are starting a brand new state and government.”