A governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress in Edo State, Dennis Idahosa, has strongly criticized Governor Godwin Obaseki for the state’s substantial indebtedness, branding it as the third highest among Nigerian states.

Idahosa shared his perspective during a meeting on Tuesday with members of the Correspondents’ Chapel, Edo State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists. 

He pledged to reassess the loans accumulated under Governor Obaseki’s administration if elected as governor, emphasizing the need for a thorough evaluation of these financial commitments.

“Edo state currently is the third most indebted state in Nigeria. When there is too much debt, most of the allocations accruing to the state will be used to service them and we cannot sustain that.

Highlighting Edo’s current status as the third most indebted state in the country, Idahosa expressed concern that excessive debt servicing would deplete state allocations, posing an unsustainable burden.

He stated, “Under my leadership as governor, we will scrutinize these loans as some may not have undergone proper evaluation. I am committed to ensuring a comprehensive review of our financial obligations.”

Regarding the upcoming September 21 gubernatorial election, Idahosa asserted that Governor Obaseki had failed to fulfill his promises to the people of Edo State, advocating for a change in leadership. He urged voters to reject Obaseki and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in favor of the APC.

Idahosa also outlined his plans for local government autonomy to facilitate grassroots development, drawing on his track record of achievements as the representative for Ovia Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.

“With what I have done in Ovia Federal constituency, I know that if APC gives me the ticket, with your support and the good people of Edo State, I will win and turn Edo around.

“One of the things I will do is to ensure that there is local government autonomy. I will ensure that monies appropriated for them get to them so that they can develop their localities against what we currently have where local government areas are given stipends and not enough for to work but under my watch, that will not continue.

“I understand very well that women are the bedrock of every home and if we give them opportunities, they will maximize it which will help build our economy. The government will be a guarantor to all the financial institutions in Edo to give women soft loans.

“For the youth, I will leverage on foreign investors to create jobs for our young people, I will woo foreign investors to come here and invest and then create real jobs for our people,” he further stated..