The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to use his “good offices to immediately review and withdraw the pardon granted to former governors of Plateau State, Senator Joshua Dariye, and Taraba State, Rev Jolly Nyame who are serving jail terms for corruption.”
Recall that the Council of State granted a presidential pardon to 159 convicts on Thursday.
Among them were Dariye and Nyame, who were both jailed for stealing N1.16 billion and N1.6 billion, respectively.
In the letter on Saturday and signed by SERAP Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: “We would like your government to clarify if the pardon granted to Mr Dariye and Mr Nyame would entitle them to the return of the stolen assets already forfeited to the government.”
The letter, copied to the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption, partly read: “The pardon is clearly inconsistent and incompatible with the requirements of the Nigerian Constitution, and the country’s international obligations including under the UN Convention against Corruption.
“SERAP, therefore, urges you to urgently withdraw the presidential pardon granted to Dariye and Nyame, and to propose amendment to section 175 of the Nigerian Constitution that will make the exercise of the power to pardon more transparent and consistent and compatible with the country’s international obligations.”
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