By Campbell Blake
Mr Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity 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.
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.
“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.
“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.
