The Edo State House of Assembly has approved Governor Monday Okpebholo’s request to hire a consulting firm to help the state recover funds owed from the Project Gazelle Afriexim loan and other crude oil-related loans.
The consultant will also be entitled to a 10% commission on any funds successfully recovered.
The Governor made this request through a letter dated April 8, 2025, which was read during a plenary session by Speaker Blessing Agbebaku.
The Speaker explained that the funds to be recovered would help improve the state’s socioeconomic development, and lawmakers supported the request through a voice vote.
Meanwhile, the political makeup of the Assembly has shifted, with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) now becoming the minority party after three of its members and one Labour Party member defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The PDP now holds 11 seats, while the APC has 13.
As a result, Mr. Charity Aiguobarueghian, who was formerly the Majority Leader, was nominated as the new Minority Leader, and Yekini Idiaye as the Minority Whip.
