The national council of state has granted state pardon to former governors Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame of Plateau and Taraba states respectively, who are serving jail terms in jail for corruption. The governors were among the 159 prisoners pardoned by President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa in Abuja.
According to a presidential source, the two former governors were pardoned on health and age grounds. It will be noted that both governors were jailed for misappropriation of public funds. If we recall President Buhari’s manifesto before he became president, he stated that he will fight corruption to the last and also jail corrupt officials, only for him to go contrary to his campaign promises. This recent pardon to 159 governors jailed for corruption has however dampened the morale of the officials of the anti-graft agencies.
These agencies, EFCC and ICPC have however accused the presidency of sabotaging the fight against corruption. It is more like a drawback to Nigeria’s fight against corruption. Once corrupt officials are occasionally pardoned, then it is imperative to say that corruption will continue to thrive in Nigeria because the law has been compromised. There is no strict punishment pelted out to corrupt politicians to serve as a deterrent to others who might want to follow suit.
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Officials of the anti-graft agencies will however feel discouraged to go after corrupt officials and arrest them because it has shown that their efforts will in the end be in vain. I am perplexed as to why a president who came into power on the campaign of fighting corruption will do such an unthinkable act of pardoning highly corrupt governors who are already serving jail terms. This act is indeed a breach of the country’s constitution, with no regard for it.
Presidential pardon for corruption cases is inconsistent with the rule of law, and the public interest because it will undermine the principle of equality before the law. With his tenure almost over and his recent presidential pardon, the President has shown to Nigerians his ill stand against corruption.
Human Rights activist and lawyer, Mike Ozekhome has lashed out at the Presidency, as he lamented that such a callous pardon is a major setback to Nigeria’s fight against corruption. Mr. Ozekhome further disclosed that pardoning corrupt politicians has only validated to the public the perception of Mr. President’s administration’s lopsided corruption fight.
It is sad to note that in most of these cases of pardoned corrupt politicians, some anti-graft officials had to risk their life and friendship to investigate these Ex-governors, only for the President to carelessly grant them a pardon. Some have described the presidential pardon as inequity in politics, as people who embezzled public funds were pardoned, unlike those convicted of petty crimes were overlooked.
Displeased with the Presidential pardon, the socio-economic rights and accountability project (SERAP) have urged President Buhari to specifically withdraw the pardon granted to Ex. Gov. Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame are already serving jail terms for the misappropriation of public funds.
SERAP further disclosed that impunity for corruption will continue as long as influential politicians escape justice for their crimes. Nigeria indeed has a very long way to go in fighting corruption, because the presidency can even go against the Constitution not minding whose ox is gored, just to satisfy his political desires.
Handling corruption in Nigeria is indeed clearly political because it has shown that any government in power will do anything possible to ensure that their fellow party man is exempted from any punishment regardless of whether he or she has been convicted for a crime.