By Ozioruva Aliu

BENIN CITY – THE crisis in the Joint Transition Committee set up by the government of Edo State All Progressives Congress (APC) continued on Thursday as the All Progressives Congress (APC) committee headed by former deputy governor, Dr Pius Odubu.

A statement on Thursday by the Secretary of the APC Transition Committee, Rt. Hon. Patrick Ikhariale accused the state government of reneging on the documents they requested and that what they provided was too scanty to cover the scope of work.

The state government through the Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare had accused the APC committee of constituting itself into an inquisitive committee by requesting documents that only the governor can hand over to the incoming governor.

At a press briefing on Wednesday, Nehikhare claimed that the government committee had provided the documentation in digital form but that the APC committee members insisted on hardcopy documents, which it has also provided to them adding that the members will “continue to come for meetings until October 30th to provide information the APC’s transition committee requires or wants as long as it is within the transition committee mandate”

But the statement by Ikhariale claimed that the outgoing administration has not presented the necessary documents that will enable a smooth transition process, “a situation that has hindered the work of the APC Transition Committee.”

He said despite the cordial atmosphere that pervaded the committee’s inaugural meeting, the government team tried to scandalise the APC committee, “with outlandish claims that we were asking for Sitting Allowances and that our request for hard copies was because members of the APC Committee were not tech-savvy. We find these false claims vexatious, underwhelming, insulting, barbaric, and completely misleading. Nothing of such was discussed or raised during and after our plenary.”

Ikhariale said the APC stated at the inaugural meeting that documents to be submitted should be in soft and hard copies for ease of reference and that this position was agreed upon by both teams adding that it followed this up with a formal letter but that “the two sets of documents sent so far are scanty and vague in respect of the expected details covering the scope of the information sought.”

The statement said the APC committee requested a total of 23 documents under various subtitles like all Assets and Liabilities,, all Edo state assets located outside the state, detailed reports of all Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) and Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) reports 2020 till date among others.

“We wish to put on record that a Status Report is expected to cover all headings and subheadings in the governance process, especially the details of the financial commitments on the various projects, programmes and responsibilities of the government. The incoming government, the people of Edo State, and taxpayers deserve to know the status of affairs. We have not constituted ourselves into a probe panel. Requests for information and documents should not be seen as fishing for trouble or asking for too much as this is in conformity with international best practices.

“The idea of trying to blackmail the APC Transition Committee is in bad taste and most unfortunate. The APC Transition Committee is populated by professionals and persons of high repute under the leadership of former Edo State Deputy Governor, His Excellency, Dr. Pius Odubu.”

He vowed that the APC committee would work to complete its assignment in line with its terms of reference.