Why Wike Can’t Criticise Buhari Over State Pardon, Presidency Reveals
- Earlier, President Muhamadu Buhari pardoned two former governors of Plateau and Taraba state, Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame
- The Rivers state Governor, Nyesom Wike in reaction, questioned the move by the president while noting that the presidential pardon lacked moral justification
- In a recent development, the presidency in a statement has cleared the air regarding Buhari's position on the matter
PAY ATTENTION: Click “See First” under the “Following” tab to see Legit.ng News on your Facebook News Feed!
The senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, Garba Shehu, has said the criticism issued by the governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike, concerning the state pardon granted by the President Muhammadu Buhari, to a former governor of Plateau, Joshua Dariye, and his Taraba state counterpart, Jolly Nyame, lacked moral justification.
Wike had criticised the state pardon, saying it ridiculed the judiciary which had convicted both men of corruption, The Punch reports.
The presidential hopeful, who spoke in Minna on Saturday, where he met with delegates of the Peoples Democratic Party, lamented that the Buhari regime is selective in its war against corruption.
Source: Facebook
He said:
PAY ATTENTION: Subscribe to Digital Talk newsletter to receive must-know business stories and succeed BIG!
“You have big big people, you jail them after all the court proceedings and waste of money, then you ridicule the judiciary by granting them pardon.”
He added that the state pardon was strategically done towards the forthcoming 2023 general elections.
Shehu reacts
Reacting, Shehu, in a post on Facebook, faulted Wike’s criticism, saying the Governor ought to have made it known at the meeting where the state pardon was issued, which he attended, instead of airing his views after the meeting.
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."
Explainer: Does Buhari have the power to pardon former Plateau governor Joshua Dariye?
In a previous report by Legit.ng, a northern group identified as The Movement For A New Arewa urged Buhari to extend a presidential pardon to the former Plateau state governor.
The group said that if the north was to return to its past glory, the likes of Dariye must be released from prison to join in the peacebuilding process.
Section 175 of the Nigerian Constitution (1999) empowers the president to pardon convicts.
Divine prophecy: Primate Ayodele reveals PDP governor who will never become Nigeria's president
In a previous report by Legit.ng, Primate Elijah Ayodele, the leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, has said Nyesom Wike, the governor of Rivers state, will never become the president of Nigeria.
The cleric disclosed this in a statement released by his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, on Tuesday, January 25.
He warned the Rivers state governor not to run for the presidency because he can’t become Nigeria’s president.
Source: Legit.ng
