A media strategist to former governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva and stalwart of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, John Ayebaralate Okhai has asked incumbent governor, Henry Seriake Dickson to leave the party out of his controversies.

Okhai who stated this on Saturday, while reacting to allegations connecting the APC with the news round town that, a government house accountant, Richard Otonye ran away with $4.6 Million belonging to Dickson to an unknown destination.

Okhai advised Dickson to take legal action against any media house appeared have smeared his image rather than draw the APC into such unwarranted lies.

He also called on the said Richard Otonye to prove beyond reasonable doubt to everyone that he was on official duty with Governor Henry Seriake Dickson as claimed by the government. Present indelible facts to absolve self by featuring on a radio show or appearing on television to prove his innocence.

In statement titled “Dickson’s $4.6 million loss, the APC should be left out of it,” Okhai said:

“The story of how an accountant in the Bayelsa State Government House absconded with the governor’s $4.6 Million was reported in some online news outlets yesterday and subsequently circulated on the social media.

“The money was said to have been given to the accountant for safe keeping, but obviously Mr Richard Etonye who is also said to be Dickson’s cousin, had another idea about the said money.

“In a desperate bid to cover up and save himself from the tongue-lashing of angry Bayelsans, who Dickson has imposed unimaginable hardship on, considering the non-payment and drastic slash in civil servants salary, Dickson has quickly denied any such incident. And like he is accustomed to doing, he has shifted the blame on the Bayelsa State chapter of the APC. Now if I may ask, what has APC got to do with the said story?

“Is the story really a hoax as Dickson would have us believe? Rather than put the blame on APC, wouldn’t it have been more honourable for him to have taken legal action against the media houses that reported the incident?

“Better still, since in Dickson’s rebuttal of the story, he claimed Richard Etonye was with him as at the time he was refuting the story, it makes it even easier for him (Dickson), be only Etonye can refute the story and not Dickson.

“If the story is a fabrication as alleged, the said accountant, Richard Etonye should for starters, be on air (radio and television) refuting the story, and go a step further in suing for libel as this a defamatory story if really it is untrue. Until these actions are taken, I would like to believe it to be true as Dickson has a long history of kleptomania.

“If any of these fails to happen, Dickson should without equivocation, tender an unreserved apology to the Bayelsa APC and ultimately own up to his crime against the people. Richard Etonye may have learnt from the best anyway, given Dickson’s history with indomie cartons.

“I also urge the EFCC and ICPC to beam their searchlight on Dickson over this matter so as to unravel the truth,” Okhai said.

Recall, most newspapers and online news agencies reported that Operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Bayelsa State on Wednesday, raided the private residence of the Bayelsa State Government House Accountant, Richard Etonye in a secret operation that lasted for about two hours.

NEXTNEWSLIVE.COM gathered the house, located along Brass Road was allegedly raided on the orders of Governor Seriake Dickson after Etonye reportedly absconded with his principal’s money said to be $4.6m. The money was handed over to the accountant by the governor for safe keep just a few days before the raid on Tuesday.

http://nextnewslive.com/leave-the-apc-out-of-your-4-6million-loss-john-a-okhai/

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Bolustic:
I don't know why Nigerians hardly hold their governors accountable but still blame PMB on every misfortune.

Here is a state with just 8 LGAs earning normal statutory allocations, 13% derivation funds, taxes from International Oil Companies and other forms of IGR yet still owes salaries.

Almost 1.6 billion naira is missing and people like Edwin Clark are keeping mum. Ok o.

It's really pathetic, we are very disturbed

No honour amongst thieves really!



I'm sure they may find that accountant general somewhere in otueke! That's were all of their loot training began!

Funlordjnr:



No honour amongst thieves really!



I'm sure they may find that accountant general somewhere in otueke! That's were all of their loot training began!

No way, Otuoke can only harbour GEJ and His cousin but not others. The smart guy might be cooling off in one of the guest houses in Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt or outside the country.

Bolustic:
I don't know why Nigerians hardly hold their governors accountable but still blame PMB on every misfortune.

Here is a state with just 8 LGAs earning normal statutory allocations, 13% derivation funds, taxes from International Oil Companies and other forms of IGR yet still owes salaries.

Almost 1.6 billion naira is missing and people like Edwin Clark are keeping mum. Ok o.

These are the issues we have with our elders in the region. Their voices are always on top when it comes to oil and federal government but can't do same with failed leaders in the region.