Charles Airhiavbere, an aspirant in the 2016 governorship election on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC), has denied alleged diversion of $5million Defence Equipment Procurement in the Nigerian Armed Forces from 2007 to 2015 to suspicious offshore accounts.
The retired Major-General in the Nigerian Army made the disclosure while reacting to allegation in a press statement by Paul Ohonbamu, Edo State commissioner for Information and Orientation.
According to the commissioner’s statement, “Charles Airhavbere was fingered in the fourth interim report of the Committee on Audit of Defence Equipment Procurement in the Nigerian Armed Forces from 2007 to 2015, which reported that the account Airhiavbere operated while in service in the Nigerian Army had a balance of $0.00, after over $5million was transferred from it to suspicious offshore accounts.
“For more revelations, the details of this are in the public domain, as can be seen in reports in national dailies.
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“There are some salient questions still begging for answers from Gen. Aihiavbere arising from the 2012 governorship debate between the then Governor Adams Oshiomhole and Airhiavbere which bordered on some antecedent moral deficits of the General when he was in the Nigerian Army.
“I hope he can give adequate answers to those questions now. Considering the makeup of Gen. Airhiavbere, Nigeria is puzzled to determine whether he is an apostate or an impostor, whether he has abandoned good principles or whether he ever had any,” he said.
Ohonbamu’s statement stemmed from Airhiavbere’s criticism of the Best Performing Governor Award bestowed on the governor by the national leadership of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Abuja during the world teachers day celebration.
While refuting the allegation, Airhiavbere, who said he served meritoriously as well as retired voluntarily in 2011 from the army, noted that he was never indicted by anybody.
“Let us not trivialise the issues on ground. I have passed through two political parties and presented myself for governorship and I have been screened and cleared. When you are in the army, you are meant to do the jobs you are supposed to do. I took the oath of allegiance in army and I will not join issues with him,” he added.
Airhiavbere, who indicated his interest to contest for the party’s ticket in next year’s governorship election, however, called on the state government to publish Edo State tenders board meetings where contracts have been awarded.
He however, called on President Muhammadu Buhari, Inspector General of Police and the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress as well as working committee to call the governor to order.
He noted that Edo State and its citizens deserve peace and tranquility as well as the dividends of democracy which they worked hard for.
IDRIS UMAR MOMOH & CHURCHILL OKORO, BENIN
