DOES ALAMIEYESEIGHA DESERVE A PRESIDENTIAL PARDON?

President Goodluck Jonathan grants presidential pardon to former governor of Bayelsa state – Alamieyeseigha who was impeached and then convicted for corruption.

What does this mean? Well, in general, a pardon is the act of forgiving a crime. A pardon nullifies punishments or other legal consequences of a crime. However, a presidential pardon does not expunge a crime or remedy the past act. Even if a criminal is pardoned, though, this doesn't mean the criminal is now considered to be innocent of the crime. A pardon just means you don't have to submit to the rest of your punishment. Pardoned criminals still have a crime on their records.

Does the Nigerian constitution give the President the right to pardon a crime committed by a former governor of Bayelsa state against both the state and the nation? Yes. Wasn’t the crime of financial fraud committed by Alamieyeseigha against both the state of Bayelsa and Nigeria? Yes. Isnt the man Alamieyeseigha wanted outside the shores of Nigeria – Britain to be precise – for charges of money laundering? Yes.

Under section 175 of the constitution, a state pardon is granted by the president after consultation with the Council of State.

It says: "(1) The President may -(a) grant any person concerned with or convicted of any offence created by an Act of the National Assembly a pardon, either free or subject to lawful conditions; (b) grant to any person a respite, either for an indefinite or for a specified period, of the execution of any punishment imposed on that person for such an offence; (c) substitute a less severe form of punishment for any punishment imposed on that person for such an offence; or (d) remit the whole or any part of any punishment imposed on that person for such an offence or of any penalty or forfeiture otherwise due to the State on account of such an offence. "(2) the powers of the President under subsection (1) of this section shall be exercised by him after consultation with the Council of State."

What was the criterion for giving Alamieyeseigha a presidential pardon?

Alamieyeseigha was the governor of Bayelsa State with Jonathan as his deputy from 1999 to 2005. He was impeached, later convicted for corruption and with this state pardon, he’s now free of the constitutional ban from holding public office in the future.

Well President GEJ has used his discretionary powers with tribalism and total disregard to the mood of Nigerians in the fight against corruption. This sends a clear signal to Nigerians and the international community that President GEJ is not serious about fighting corruption? You wonder why Nigeria is far from developed? What a sham!