former Governor of Bayelsa State, Mr. Diepreye Alamieyeseigha
Outrage
at the state pardon granted the former Governor of Bayelsa State, Mr.
Diepreye Alamieyeseigha by the Federal Government continued on Saturday
with Niger Delta-based groups and kinsmen of President Goodluck Jonathan
accusing the President of toying with the future of Nigeria.
The former Chairman of the Conference of
Nigerian Political Parties, Bayelsa State chapter, Mr. Sunday
Frank-Oputu, and the state Coordinator National Anti-Corruption
Volunteer Corps, Elizabeth Egbe, described the development as
‘shocking.’
Also, the former state Secretary of the
Civil Liberty Organisation, Mr. Alagoa Morris, and the Coordinator,
Forum for Justice and Human Rights Defence said Alamieyeseigha had done
nothing to improve the economy of the country.
Frank-Oputu told SUNDAY PUNCH that
there was no witch-hunt in the process that led to the conviction of
Alamieyeseigha saying that the former governor was sentenced for
looting public treasury.
He insisted that the pardon had demonstrated that the present administration was neck deep in corruption.
He insisted that it was not time for the
former governor to be granted pardon, adding that Alamieyeseigha should
have been allowed to remain a convict for over 10 years to serve as a
deterrent to other potential offenders.
Frank-Oputu said, “With this pardon, it
is clear that the fight against corruption is defeated. There is nothing
good that will come out of the fight against corruption under
Jonathan’s dispensation. It was in his dispensation that we saw a man
who stole N32bn but was asked to pay N700,000 and go home.
“What impression is the Federal
Government creating? It has told the world that President Jonathan is a
real corrupt person and that he is not fighting corruption in its
entirety.
“The crime for which Alamieyeseigha was
sentenced to prison was not just a mere issue of somebody fighting for
selfish interest. This was a man who deprived his own people of their
own wealth and took everything in his possession as a governor”, he
said.
He described as “blatant lies” the claims by Okupe that the former governor contributed to the peace in the Niger Delta region.
Also, Ikimi described as terrifying
Okupe’s statement that Alamieyeseigha deserved the pardon having
contributed to the growth of the country’s economy.
He referred to Okupe’s position as a
“criminal infringement on the collective intelligence of Nigerians”
insisting that the pardon should be reversed in the interest of good
governance.
“More irritating is the comparison of DSP
Alamieyeseigha’s pardon with the case of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Chief
Odumegwu-Ojukwu, the Americans granted pardon by two past US presidents.
We make bold to say that there was no basis for such comparison,” he
said.
Besides, Egbe who is the state
coordinator of NAVC, an affiliate of the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission said the pardon had rubbished efforts made by the commission
to secure the convictions of Alamieyeseigha and other persons.
She said it was counterproductive for a
country fighting corruption to reverse judgment it secured in the past
against fraudulent persons.
She, however, said it was unfair to focus
on Alamieyeseigha alone as some other persons included in the list of
pardon did not deserve it.
Meanwhile, the All Nigeria Peoples Party
has described Alamieyeseigha as a victim of circumstance, following the
travails that led to his impeachment and imprisonment.
Former National Vice-Chairman of the
ANPP, South-South Zone, Mr. Asukewe Iko-Awaji, said Alamieyeseigha, was
victimised as a result of the ex-governor’s stance on former President
Olusegun Obasanjo’s third term ambition.
Iko-Awaji explained that while many were
made to believe that Alamieyeseigha was impeached and removed for
corruption, the truth was that the ex-governor was victimised due to his
unwavering position on Obasanjo’s political ambition.
PUNCH
No comments:
Post a Comment