Nigeria would have ceased to exist if Jonathan was still president – Bayelsa elder Kpodoh

Nigeria would have ceased to exist if Jonathan was still president – Bayelsa elder Kpodoh

For declaring that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will upstage the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2017, former President Goodluck Jonathan has come under severe attack from his own kinsman, Chief Richard Perekeme Kpodoh.

Jonathan recently gave the assurance that the PDP will return to government in 2019.

According to Kpodoh, Jonathan should bury his head in shame for saying the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would return in 2019 after what he and the party did to Nigerians, especially in the six years that he ruled the country.

“It is shameful, insensitive and irresponsible for him to have made such a statement. He should realise that when we elected him as the President of Nigeria, the only thing he did was to disappoint everybody.

“Jonathan should realise that throughout his tenure, he wasted a lot of money and brought upon us this current hardship. In fact, the entire PDP should hide in shame. Imagine the level of corruption, profligacy and thievery, broad day robbery they perpetrated in this country in the name of governance.

“Theirs is kleptocracy. You are a witness to a number of high ranking PDP members who have returned money they stole in previous government.

“Others are making plans to return their loots, our common heritage while many of them are having their days in court. All these happened under Jonathan. The doors to our commonwealth were opened to a few people and they stole us blind,” Kpodoh said in an interview with The Nation.

The APC chieftain warned Nigerians not to be deceived as the current difficulty began under Jonathan.

“Look at the amount of money that was embezzled. If Jonathan had remained there till today, this country would have ceased to exist.

“The country would have scattered, shattered and battered. Do you know why it seemed as if things were good then? It was a smokescreen.

“Stealing was going on and people were scattering money; they destroyed the value of money because most people were spending proceeds of stealing.

“They were spending their future today and they were living a false life. When you spend money anyhow, you can get some comfort today, but you will suffer tomorrow for a long time especially when the source is no longer buoyant," he added.

He added: “Jonathan should just go and sit down because it was a shame. He is a shame to Bayelsa. Look at Bayelsa state where Jonathan came from.

“Where is the federal presence here because east or west, home remains the best? Instead of allowing his home state to at least feel his impact, he and his wife only made all the money.”

Kpodoh asked the PDP to first return all the money its officials stole before thinking of contesting against the APC.

“If it is possible for them to turn the hand of the clock back to when our reserve was huge, both foreign and local, they should do it and then we can begin to talk.

“It is criminal for them to be talking about 2019 when we are still trying to recover from the problems they plunged us into.

“The country is bleeding and people are suffering. Women are using their children as collateral for common garri. Parents can no longer pay their children’s school fees. Is it not affecting you because it is affecting me as a businessman?” he queried.