𝐄𝐝𝐨 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐎𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐤𝐢’𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐎𝐖𝐀𝐀, 𝐑𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐇𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐞

The Edo State House of Assembly ad hoc committee probing the Museum of West African Art and the Radisson Hotel projects has warned it may issue an arrest warrant for former Governor Godwin Obaseki over his repeated refusal to honour its invitation.

The committee, set up at the request of Governor Monday Okpebholo, is examining the funding, ownership structure and government investments in the two projects, including the state’s N3.8bn stake in MOWAA and N28bn committed to the hotel project.

It noted that the management of MOWAA had also failed to appear before it, stressing that it holds statutory authority to request police intervention to compel attendance from any invited individual.

During a resumed hearing, committee chairman Addeh Isibor said Obaseki and several others had written through their lawyers to justify their absence. Obaseki cited ongoing court cases involving MOWAA as his reason for not appearing.

Isibor, describing the committee’s work as a fact-finding exercise rather than a witch-hunt, expressed displeasure over the repeated refusals, insisting that fair hearing cannot be claimed by those who decline to present themselves before the panel.