Alamieyeseigha Has Suffered Enough, He Deserves State Pardon – Presidency

It is official! The Presidency has confirmed granting state pardon to former Bayelsa state Governor, Diepreye S.P Alamieyeseigha and seven others.This was confirmed by Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, who spoke on a live television programme, Sunrise, on Channels Television. Okupe stated that the public outcry over the pardon of Alamieyeseigha was unnecessary as he had served out his prison term and had become remorseful.Okupe said making a big deal of the ex-governor’s case out of the eight persons pardoned by the National Council of State appeared to be a witch hunt.

“A man was deposed, he was hounded, tried and jailed; What is wrong with giving pardon to a remorseful sinner?” Okupe queried.

He then went on a series of rhetorics to suggest that the former Governor had suffered enough: “How come granting pardon to him has become an aberration? Is it because he is from Bayelsa? Is it because he is from the South-South? Is it because he is connected to Mr. President?”

More so, Okupe said it was not Jonathan, who was Alamieyeseigha’s deputy from 1999-2005 that granted the pardon but the National Council of State.

He therefore charged Nigerians to respect the institution of the National Council of State.

It would be recalled that on Tuesday, the National Council of State granted pardon to DSP Alamieyeseigha, former Chief of General Staff, retired General Oladipo Diya; a former Chief of Staff Supreme, late Major General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua; Major Bello Magaji; ­Mohammed Lima Biu; Shettima Bulama; late Major General Abdulkareem Adisa; and Major Segun Fadipe.