Chairman of the parallel state executive of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State, Chief Richard Perekemi Kpodo, has called on President Muhamadu Buhari not to spare any individual found wanton of corruption among members of the party in the state.
According to him, some members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who recently defected to the APC joined the party “as a clever way of evading prosecution” adding that “as such, the law must take its course without regard to membership of the party.”
Kpodo, who made these declarations in Yenagoa, said receiving the former PDP members into the party by the other chairman of the party loyal to the former governor, Timipre Sylva, was an illegality.
He added that himself and his executives had been sacked and he was now the authentic chairman of the party in the state. He added that such moves was meant to provide cover for the new members to avoid being prosecuted but said he was confident that President Buhari will not agree to such scheming nor use the party as dumping ground for looters.
“On the defectors, purportedly received by sacked chairman of the APC, the action is an illegality and done to provide cover for bands of corrupt politicians and fake protection against prosecution by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. The APC’s stand against corrupt associates of the administration of Goodluck Jonathan is known and must be prosecuted. As a decent state executive devoid of past corrupt acts of former executives, we consider the attempt to make the APC a dumping ground unacceptable and vexatious. APC in the state will not allow the party to become dumping ground for desperate looters in need of protection from prosecution”, he said.
He said that his executives were out to maintain due process as provided for in the party’s constitution and as such every aspiring defector must obtain clearance at the ward through to the state level of the party to show clear record of performance from parent party before official presentation to the party. “Those accepted recently are bandwagon seeking refuge from the law”, he insisted.
He has therefore called on the president to order a detailed investigation into their past while he also said he supported the move to probe former President Goodluvk Jonathan.
“We call on President Muhammadu Buhari to order a detailed investigation into the past acts of fraud and embezzlement by these decampees and their associates. We support the moves by President Buhari for the prosecution of former president, Goodluvk Jonathan, his wife, Patience Jonathan and his known associates of the looting and associated crimes committed against the state”.
The factional leader did not spare former governor Timipre Sylva whom he accused of using the state resources to allegedly buy the property at which the recent declaration of the former members of the PDP took place. According to him, the property was still not only in legal dispute but also the property of the people of the state.
Kpodo said in obedience to the instruction of President Buhari on the need for unity, he will not say much henceforth but noted that the clarification on the status of the decompress from the PDP was important to maintain the integrity of the APC and the need to follow due process in the administration of the party.
He also informed members of the APC in the state that the party will soon release a time table of events of the party to receive teeming supporters and processes for the primaries.