Wike lacks moral justification to condemn Dariye, Nyame’s pardon – Garba Shehu

A spokesperson for the Nigerian presidency, Garba Shehu, has faulted Governor Nyesome Wike’s criticism of the presidential pardon granted former governors Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame.

TheCornet reports that the Council of State, led by President Muhammadu Buhari, this week granted prerogative of mercy to the two former governors.

Dariye and Nyame, who were former governors of Plateau and Benue states respectively, are doing their times for stealing billions of naira of public funds.

Wike had called their pardon, among the 159 Nigerians similarly granted clemency, as a mockery of the judiciary and a waste of the public funds expended on prosecuting them.

But, in his reaction posted to his Facebook wall, Shehu who is Buhari’s special assistant on media and publicity, called Wike’s action, “Bolekaja” ( a derogatory term for someone daring another to a fight)

Shehu said: “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.”

Shehu said Wike would have been able to give his contrary opinion about the pardon, had he attended the session.

“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 (he) did not do. A press release after the meeting is bolekaja politics, ” he added.

The Nigerian Government conveyed the  prerogative of mercy at the end of the Council of State meeting.

Such special pardon to convicts or persons engaged in felonious act is an important privilege a president or governor enjoys while in office.

The Council is the country’s highest advisory body on policy issues and its members comprises present and former rulers, and governors as