Richard Kpodo, former special adviser to ex-governor of Bayelsa state, Timipre Sylva, has raised the alarm over the alleged threat to his life for attacking his former boss.
In a recent interview, Kpodo has revealed that Sylva organised the stoning of President Muhammadu Buhari, when the latter was campaigning in the state in 2011 on the platform of the Congress for Progressive Change.
The Punch reports that Kpodo, who was in charge of security under Sylva, alleged that the former governor hired the thugs that showered stones on Buhari.
Alleging the threat to his life, Kpodo said that he had received many text messages warning him to stop opening his mouth and attack the former governor.
However, when asked about the people he was suspecting, Kpodo did not mention any names.
“I am suspecting Sylva’s loyalists. One of them, I think was even the person that went to bail the suspects arrested for hauling stones at Buhari during the campaign in 2011.
“I have some of the text messages on my phone. My prime suspect is a newly elected member of the state House of Assembly.
“The truth is bitter. The intention is to deter me from saying the truth but I cannot be deterred. I have been a politician in this state for a long time and I am not afraid of threats,” Kpodo stressed.
“What I am saying is that this man (Sylva) fought against Bahari when Buhari needed support. What if he had died? Anybody cannot claim to love Buhari more than the other. What of some of us who risked our lives to form the
“We, who fought for Buhari through thick and thin, do we not love Buhari? Are we not his supporters?
“The reason we failed woefully in Bayelsa during the elections was that the money given to the people was even embezzled by these same people who now say they love Buhari,” he said.
To prove that the ex-governor organised the stoning, the APC leader revealed that the youths arrested after the incident, were released by local police.
Last month the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission re-arraigned Sylva before a Federal High Court in Abuja for fraud. He is reportedly accused of fraudulently obtaining about N2.4bn between October 2009 and February 2010 when he was the governor of the state.
Recently, Festus Keyemo, a popular human rights lawyer, has withdrawn as the prosecution counsel in the corruption case against Sylva.
The lawyer said that he was stepping down as the lead prosecutor due to the “recent developments which could hinder him from prosecuting the case effectively and vigorously.”
