STATE PARDON: Presidency replies Gov Wike over criticism of Council of State’s decision

In a triple-tweet on his verified Twitter handle, the presidential spokesman revealed how the decision was presented to the Council, which includes all the 36 Governors by President Muhammadu Buhari and it was passed.

Though Wike was absent at the meeting, his deputy, Dr Ipalibo Banigo, joined virtually on behalf of the State but turned off visuals at some points.

“I do not see the moral justification for Governor Wike’s criticism of the decision of the government to pardon for 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 did not do. A press release after the meeting is bolekaja politics,” Shehu said.

Facebook discussions of comment

Mixed reactions trailed the Facebook version of the Garba Shehu’s comment with some giving a heat  while others educating them on how to see the wisdom of what President Buhari and his advisers did on the two former governors while also reminding them that they should not lose sight of the fact that Major General Tajudeen Olanrewaju and his late special assistant, Lt. Col. Oluwole Oyeyemi Akiyode, who were also pardoned, are political convict that have been long over due and that their pardon should interest the critics to be appreciated than trying to throw the baby away with the bath water.

Umar Farouk said: “Allah ya’isa, buhari have deceived us especially in term of corruption! we have been defending and giving excuses for this Government untill now we realises the man in aso- rock was just deceived us, he is not ready to defend our lives and Fight agaist corruption. this is the mess that we would never forgot. now we are despondent for our future. if I were you mr, shehu I will not come out and waste my ink over this scam.”

Caxton Fatanmi said: “What would we have done if the Courts had quashed the sentences of these two Ex-Governors? The reportage on this Pardon issue is utterly wrong and misinforming! The reportage was biased and politicised.  Many of us did not even go as far as to try to know the details.

“Fact is, the President, who is the butt of unfounded anger here, is not the Grantor of these pardons. There is a Council, NATIONAL COUNCIL OF STATE, comprising of every former Heads of State of this country and others, that recommended for pardon to be granted citizens incarcerated under the laws on several grounds, including, poor health, perceived miscarriage of justice, that the sentence was excessive for the crimes alleged, humanitarian etcetera.

“Nigerians, as a people, we are selective in our perspectives on national issues. What our ill-informed media did was the usual work of mischievous reportage and half-truths. They dwelt only on the cases of two Ex-Governors amongst many. No one bothered again to try to find out the rest.

“Amongst those granted pardon were those jailed for the failed coup d’etat against the Babangida junta in 1990. I affect to think these men deserved to be freed after nearly 40 years in jail! Several of these ex-convicts were given excessive sentences by Judges who did not so much serve the cause of justice!

“Let us, as citizens, try to get a grasp of our understanding of the Constitution. It is not on every issue we should permit ourselves to be misinformed by the Nigerian media; or get carried away by political chicanery and biases. Come to think of it, these two Ex-Governors were not any more wrong than many of their colleagues that committed worse crimes and are today walking freely, because the Judiciary freed them on technical grounds,” Caxton Fatanmi said.

Idris Mahmud said: “Caxton Fatanmi Thank you Sir for this enlightenment.”

Prince Bashir Adefaka said: “I am surprised that people would sit on this platform and throw tantrums at President Muhammadu Buhari over a decision that, even with God, is golden and highly rewarding. I read Umar Farouk , who claimed “Buhari have deceived us”. He even supports Wike, a Governor that not only carries cutlass in his hand while on Executive Governor’s podium to address in the public but also, currently, has publicly expressed that Presidency is not earned but taken by force, over his criticism of the pardon. My ever respected Uncle Caxton Fatanmi finally schooled all of you by asking a simple question that none of you has answered “WHAT WOULD WE HAVE DONE IF THE COURTS HAD QUASHED THE SENTENCES OF THESE TWO EX-GOVERNORS?”.

“Look, all these criticisms of Mr. President, are they informed by knowledge capacity or cheer bad bellying kind of a thing? It must stop.  You have continuously kept silent over Supreme Court quashing Chief Bode George’s ex-convict tag, which I am not against. You are saying that you are better than God in show of mercy. Whereas, you believe “God does not want death of a sinner but for him to repent”. How come you are playing God because of your unhelpful hate for your President? It is unfair.

“The pardon of Gen. Tajudeen Olanrewaju should interest you and you must commend it now. But you and Femi Falana want to erode the great decision because of Dariye and Nyame. I will be back,” he said.

Umar Farouk still had something to say: “Prince Bashir Adefaka, with all due deference sir, God never forgive a sin commited between fellow human being. Buhari sworn with qur’an and promised to protect the lives and property of Nigrrians . he also promised to fight against corruption wich we all known corruption is behind all the bugbears we are passing through! we all developed hope in him untill we felt he is the last person remaining to pull-out fats inside fire for us.

“Our amiable prince, you quoted one CAXTON FAYNMI is asking ” what would we have done if courts had quashed the sentence of these two ex-Governors?” before we were hearing this government complaining that judiciary are not helping in them in fighting against corruption that why all the delay is viscititude. this led us to become very despondent in our judiciary system. Luckly, we found one woman who make us proud, halcyon and developed hope in us from the judiciary by convicting these two ex-Governors to harvest what they have planted, but unfortunately the one who we gave trust vain down her effort by pardoning these two mugus.

Prince Bashir Adefaka said: “Umar Farouk I wonder whether your name only deceives me. If God forgives sins committed by his creature against him, how come he won’t forgive the sun by man against man? Mind you, no one has defender corruption here but we are saying if the President so wishes that he forgives the sinners, so be it. That is the divine truth you have nothing against. You are only being malicious against a man that has committed no offence against you.

If you are truly a Muslim, how did God forgive a prostitute because she saw that a dog was feeling so thirsty and used her shoe to get water for it it to quench its thirst? Or am I the one overrating some of you here?

Umar Farouk said: “(Names withheld) yes, God forgive sin committed against him no mater how diabolic the sin was, but never forgive sin by man against man. Not because he is not potent to do so, but because he is the exceptional arbiter. You are free to go and ask any scholar closed to you about this.

“The Nigerians quandary is corruption and Buhari promised to preclude Nigeria from it . and we all developed hope in him. We took good 7years given him excuses because we though the things go beyond his refrain until this pardoned saga rises we came to know he is not serious a bout.

“When orlu sometu, sambo Dasuki, orji uzo kalu, FFk and co freed we were saying this judiciary are not helping president to tackle Nigerian bugbears! My problem is not forgiveness he had for them, but are we going to continue like that? I repeat Buhari pardoned is not pardonable and is not encourage this kind of pardon

Caxton Fatanmi returned to the trench and said: “Wike is Governor. Even he does not understand the 1999 Nigerian Constitution, and what it says about this issue of granting Pardons. He was supposed to be in attendance at the National Executive Council. At that meeting, he or his team were free to oppose the pardon. As in every issue in a democracy, if a majority decided in granting anyone or group a pardon there is nothing he, being in the minority could do.

“These grandstanding by him is either, he is uninformed on the Constitution (he should not be, because he claims to be a lawyer!), or he is playing politics , or being mischievous! It was not only Ex-Governors Dariye and Nyame that were pardoned. There are a whole lot of people pardoned and some of them deserved to be.

“It is not every issue we Nigerians should be politicising. Besides, what made Dariye and Nyame worse than many of these Governors? Enough of our hypocrisy, Nigerians, please!!!”