- Photo: Wike *
The Presidency has come down heavily on Rivers State Governor, Mr Nyesom Wike, over his criticism of the pardon granted two ex governors serving jail terms for corruption.
The two governors are Joshua Dariye, former governor of Plateau state, and Jolly Nyame, former governor of Taraba state.
Nyame is serving a 12-year jail sentence for diverting N1.64 billion during his tenure as governor of Taraba, while Dariye is serving 10 years imprisonment for N1.126 billion fraud.
The former governors were among 159 inmates granted pardoned at a council of state meeting on Thursday.
Many critics, including Wike have condemned the pardon for the ex governors, saying it make a mockery of President Muhammadu Buhari’s much talked about anti-corruption policy.
Reacting to the condemnation by Wike, Presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu said in a statement on Saturday night that “I do not see the moral justification for Governor Wike’s criticism of the decision of the government to pardon Governors Dariye and Nyame at a meeting to which he was duly invited but did not attend.
” The Rivers State Deputy Governor, Dr. Ipalibo Banigo who joined the Council of State meeting virtually switched off her camera so it was difficult to determine whether she sat behind the dark screen or just walked away after first joining.
“If the Governor felt so strongly about the pardons, the right was for him or his representative to sit through the meeting and assert views. This (they) did not do. A press release after the meeting is bolekaja politics.”