Wike slams FG for Pardoning Dariye, Nyame

On Saturday, Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike chastised the Federal Government for pardoning former Plateau and Taraba governors Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame, both of whom were convicted of corruption.

Wike, a presidential candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said the pardon was proof that the Federal Government’s war against corruption was veiled in vile politics that had embarrassed Nigeria in the international community.

The Governor made the remarks during a visit to Niger State as part of his ongoing meetings with PDP delegates ahead of the party’s presidential primaries.

The Governor stated it was difficult to comprehend the Federal Government’s reasoning for handpicking alleged corrupt individuals, putting them through judicial processes all the way to the Supreme Court, and then releasing them under the pretext of a pardon.

Wike recalled President Muhammadu Buhari’s vow to confront corruption head-on in a statement released by his Special Assistant, Media.

Buhari’s tendency, he claimed, was skewed towards anyone who disagreed with his ideas and programs.

He said: “To tell you the truth, this APC government has deceived us a lot. This is a government that said they’re fighting corruption, they handpick people and jail them after they have gone through all court processes up to Supreme Court.

“Then they turned around to release from prison those people that they said are corrupt. What country and what a government?

“Doing it for political reasons because the elections are coming and they want (Joshua) Dariye to help their party in Plateau State. They want (Jolly) Nyame to help them in Taraba State. Why don’t they give pardon to James Ibori for example

“Look at how they have made the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) to prosecute and spend so much money. Then at the end of the day you played politics with it. How will the international community look at us? It’s so shameful.”

Wike told the delegates that he was determined to put an end to the APC’s era of lying to Nigerians, claiming that it was the reason he was running for the PDP ticket.

He promised to address the country’s lingering insecurity, allowing farmers to return to their farms and grow the economy.

He said: “The day you give me the ticket is the day we will start to form the government, because by giving me the ticket, I know I’ve won the election already.

“It is only when you’ve given me the ticket that I’ll make sure that I present, put together the best of professionals that will help me to run the affairs of this country.

“Leadership is the ability to organise and galvanised experts to do the work under adequate supervision and coordination.”

Wike claimed that what he had accomplished in Rivers was a shining example of what he would do as President of Nigeria if given the chance.

He stated that he is a performer and a courageous individual, and that Nigeria required his bold nature to save the country.

Prof. Jerry Gana, the former Minister of Information, urged the delegates to support Wike’s ambition since he was capable of ending insecurity and the country’s infrastructure gap.

“Nigerians, if you want a decisive answer to this insecurity in Nigeria, then tell the PDP to wisely give you Wike as candidate so he will become president of Nigeria, because I know Wike will preside very well”, he said.

Senator Zainab Kure, a member of the PDP board of trustees, described Wike as “gender friendly” and “passionate about the party.”

Tanko Beji, the chairman of the Niger state PDP, stated that the problems mentioned by Wike when speaking to delegates were pertinent.

Beji, who described the upcoming PDP convention as a make-or-break event, warned that the party must not make the error of presenting its ticket to someone who would later become a sectional president.

He said: “This party belongs to all of us. We need to put our resources and energies together to work for this party. We want a Nigerian president, not a southern president. We want a Nigerian president, not a northern president.

“This is the focus. Gone are the days that we will be deceived. We can no longer be deceived. We have come a long way. We have suffered enough, we don’t want to suffer again.”

He praised Wike for his dedication to the PDP and asked him to revamp the party’s compensation system.

“If you become president and by the will of God, you will, there is a need for you to give the party and the country a redirection. There is a need for you to change the reward system in the party.

“Gone are the days when somebody will put in his effort, put in his cash, put in his energy , when we form government you put him behind, that is not party politics”, he said.