Rivers Governor on Saturday berated the Federal Government for granting pardon to the former Plateau and Taraba Governors Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame, convicted for corruption.
Wike, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential aspirant, said the pardon was a demonstration the corruption fight of the Federal Government was shrouded in despicable politics that had ridiculed Nigeria in the international community.
The Governor spoke when he visited Niger State as part of his ongoing consultations with delegates of the Peoples Democratic party (PDP), ahead of the party’s presidential primaries.
The Governor said it was difficult to explain the rationale of the Federal Government in handpicking supposed corrupt persons, make them go through court processes up to Supreme Court and turned around to release them in the guise of a pardon.
Wike, in a statement by his Special Assistant, Media, recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari promised to fight corruption headlong.
He said Buhari’s pattern was tilted against persons opposed to his policies and programmes.
He said: “To tell you the truth, this APC government has deceived us a lot. This is a government that said they’re fighting corruption, they handpick people and jail them after they have gone through all court processes up to Supreme Court.
“Then they turned around to release from prison those people that they said are corrupt. What country and what a government?
“Doing it for political reasons because the elections are coming and they want (Joshua) Dariye to help their party in Plateau State. They want (Jolly) Nyame to help them in Taraba State. Why don’t they give pardon to James Ibori for example
“Look at how they have made the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) to prosecute and spend so much money. Then at the end of the day you played politics with it. How will the international community look at us? It’s so shameful.”
Wike told the delegates that he was resolved to end the era of lies by the APC to Nigerians, saying it was the reason he was vying for the ticket of the PDP.
He promised to tackle the festering insecurity in parts of the country to allow farmers return to their farms and grow the economy.
He said: “The day you give me the ticket is the day we will start to form the government, because by giving me the ticket, I know I’ve won the election already.
“It is only when you’ve given me the ticket that I’ll make sure that I present, put together the best of professionals that will help me to run the affairs of this country.
“Leadership is the ability to organise and galvanised experts to do the work under adequate supervision and coordination.”
Wike said what he had done in Rivers was towering evidence of what he was prepared to do as president of Nigeria if given the opportunity to serve.
He explained that he is a performer, a courageous person and Nigeria needed his fearless personality to salvage the country.
Former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana, urged the delegates to support Wike’s ambition because he had the capacity to end insecurity and the country’s infrastructural deficit.
“Nigerians, if you want a decisive answer to this insecurity in Nigeria, then tell the PDP to wisely give you Wike as candidate so he will become president of Nigeria, because I know Wike will preside very well”, he said.
A member of the PDP board of trustee, Senator Zainab Kure, said Wike was gender friendly and passionate about the party.
Niger state PDP chairman, Tanko Beji, observed that the issues raised by Wike while addressing delegates were germane.
Beji, who described the forthcoming PDP convention as do or mar, said PDP must not make the mistake of giving its ticket to someone who would end up being a sectional president.
He said: “This party belongs to all of us. We need to put our resources and energies together to work for this party. We want a Nigerian president, not a southern president. We want a Nigerian president, not a northern president.
“This is the focus. Gone are the days that we will be deceived. We can no longer be deceived. We have come a long way. We have suffered enough, we don’t want to suffer again.”
He commended Wike for his commitment to the PDP and urged him to ensure that the party’s reward system is overhauled.
“If you become president and by the will of God, you will, there is a need for you to give the party and the country a redirection. There is a need for you to change the reward system in the party.
“Gone are the days when somebody will put in his effort, put in his cash, put in his energy , when we form government you put him behind, that is not party politics”, he said.