Two federal lawmakers from Edo State, Rt. Hon. Dennis Idahosa and Hon. Dekeri Anamero differed over the supply of truck-loads of Christmas Rice meant as palliatives by the federal government to federal lawmakers for their constituents.
Interestingly, Idahosa, who represents Ovia federal constituency, and Anamero, who represents the Etsako federal constituency, are also governorship aspirants on the All Progressives Congress (APC) platform.
Idahosa yesterday called for a probe over an allegation that four-trailer loads of rice gifted to federal lawmakers has been supplied and shared to their constituents.
Idahosa’s call for a probe came after Anamero, in a viral video on social media, told his supporters to demand, from their representatives and senators, the whereabouts of the bags of rice as approved by President Tinubu for each of the 360 House of Representatives members, and 109 senators.
In the video Anamero said, “President Bola Tinubu ordered the ministry of Agriculture to allocate N100 million worth of rice and other grains to each of the 360 House of Representatives members to share to their constituents in December. For the 109 senators, the allocation was N200m worth of rice Palliatives to share.
“Please my people, did your honourable members or senators share Tinubu’s rice in your constituency this Christmas? Don’t mind if they branded it with their pictures,” he said.
Anamero’s allegations however generated uproar in political circles and among civil society organisations and Edo residents who demanded investigation into the whereabouts of the rice allocated to lawmakers for distribution to their members of their constituents in the state.
Piqued by the development, Idahosa, in a statement he personally signed, described the allegations by his colleague as spurious, misleading and capable of inciting constituents against lawmakers.
In his statement titled “Notice of disclaimer,” Idahosa said no bag of rice has been supplied from the federal government for distributions to the people of his constituency – Ovia Federal Constituency.
He said “federal government in its wisdom made provisions for a N100 million towards providing palliatives and development, the award letter for this purpose was released on the 15th of December, 2023, with the analysis of N50 million for provision of Rice and the other N50m for solar street lights.
“The procurement process which includes the BOQ to ascertain the number of bags of rice and solar street lights poles has not been issued to the contractor who won the bid for supply to the Federal Constituency, as at today this has not been concluded by the awarding ministry.
“I will also in the spirit of transparency and forthright service, call on the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), Civil Society Organizations, Concerned Citizens of Edo and the Inspector General of Police to investigate the purported supplies of 2,400 bags of rice to me for distributions to my constituents,” he said.
However, Anamero, in his reaction to the ripples generated by his allegation, insisted that his initial disclosure was driven by accountability to his constituents and not in any way to malign anybody.
He said, “I know that some of my colleagues have been calling that your video is putting us in trouble. Let me say very clearly that it is not my intention to put anybody in trouble or set the constituency against any member nor is it for me to profit out of it.
“I will at this time appeal to members of different constituencies that if they have not reached out to them, that they will reach out to them. Most of the contractors are still doing their documentation and I am sure that as soon as they are done, they are going to reach out to the constituents.
“The palliative to cushion the effects of the fuel subsidy was given to members and I am sure they have all shared. I have also seen videos where members were sharing some of these rice,” he maintained.