By Victor Graham
The People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) Youth Network has urged Nigerians and Bayelsans to discountenance the ridiculous and spurious claims made by a former Special Adviser on Security, Chief Perekeme Richard Kpodoh against Senator Henry Seriake Dickson.
Dickson had last week dragged Kpodoh to court over a statement he authored accusing him (Dickson) of embezzlement during his eight years as governor of the state.
Kpodoh in his statement of defence, a copy of which was released to newsmen on Sunday, maintained that the former governor mismanaged the state resources to the tune of trillions of naira.
But Secretary General of the PDP Youth Network, Comrade James Oputin, said in a statement that Kpodoh’s allegation of misuse of public funds contained in his defence of a 10 billion naira libel suit was ridiculous, baseless and deliberate falsehood which should be ignored by all men of good conscience.
Comrade Oputin said that Chief Kpodoh’s purported defence which deliberately avoided the main issues for which he was sued showed that he had no defence before the court where justice is naturally expected to take its course.
He described Chief Kpodoh as a shady character who has blackmailed all leaders of the state from Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, the first Governor, to date.
He stressed that Bayelsans know his reputation as a man standing trial for serial acts of alleged rape and who also allegedly presided over the gristly killings perpetrated by a notorious security outfit called Operation Famutagbe which he headed as Security Adviser to Chief Timipre Sylva.
Comrade Oputin called on the leadership of the PDP to be wary of characters like Chief Kpodoh who just defected from the APC to the PDP in Bayelsa.
He said that it was not to the advantage of the party that a purported PDP leader would make wild allegations with the intent to rubbish the landmark achievements of the PDP under Chief Dickson in Bayelsa.
He said that Chief Dickson managed a recession in Bayelsa and did very well in all the sectors.
Comrade Oputin who called on the party leadership to commence immediate action against Chief Kpodoh, said that such people whose reputations are against them shouldn’t be allowed to run riot in the party with the intent to destroy it.