The Edo State House of Assembly ad hoc committee investigating the funding and ownership of the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) and the Radisson Hotel has warned that it has the constitutional power to issue an arrest warrant for former Governor, Godwin Obaseki, over his refusal to appear before the panel.
Naijaonpoint reports that the committee was set up following a request from Governor Monday Okpebholo, who urged the House to probe the state’s investment of ₦3.8 billion in MOWAA and ₦28 billion in the Radisson Hotel project.
The committee expressed displeasure on Thursday after Obaseki and several others failed to honour invitations, instead sending legal representations citing ongoing court cases as reasons for their absence.
Chairman of the committee, Addeh Isibor, said the panel had the legal authority to compel attendance and insisted that lawsuits could not stop the committee’s proceedings.
Isibor said during the committee’s resumed sitting, “These gentlemen have unilaterally chosen to absent themselves, citing court cases regarding our sitting or issues under consideration.
“We are not dunces but cerebral people. We are constitutionally mandated to carry out investigations… The mere filing of a suit in court cannot amount to a stay of proceedings.”
Isibor condemned what he described as attempts to obstruct the committee’s work, stating that none of the lawyers attached valid court processes to their letters.
“It is more offensive that none of the SANs attached court processes to the letters. These are empty letters. They want to stop this committee from getting to the root of the matter.
“We reject the letters as lacking in merit. The Edo Assembly is not a party to the suit,” he said, adding that the committee reserves the right to involve law enforcement to ensure compliance.
Those invited alongside Obaseki include former Commissioner for Finance Joseph Eboigbe, former Attorney General Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, and key stakeholders from companies linked to the projects, including Tilbury House Nigeria Ltd, Hospitality Investment and Management Company, Afrinvest Capital Ltd, Meristem Trustees Ltd, and Emerging Africa Trustees Ltd.
The probe follows a November 9 incident where a high-profile exhibition at MOWAA descended into chaos after protesters stormed the venue, claiming the museum belonged to the Oba of Benin.
The preview, meant for investors, artists, and foreign diplomats, ended abruptly as security forces scrambled to evacuate dignitaries.
Footage later went viral showing terrified guests, including ambassadors from the European Union and Germany, being escorted out under tight security.
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