Withdraw Alamieyesiegha, Bulama’s Pardon In National Interest – NLC

THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF STATES MEETING WHERE THE PARDON WAS GRANTED
THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF STATES MEETING WHERE THE PARDON WAS GRANTED

The Nigeria Labour Congress on Thursday urged the Federal Government to rescind the state pardon granted to former Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Alamieyesiegha, and a former Managing Director, former Bank of the North, Mr. Shettima Bulama.The Labour union through its President Abdulwahed Omar said the pardon of the two men convicted for misappropriation of public funds would send a wrong signal about the nation’s commitment to the fight against corruption in the polity.

While acknowledging the rights of the duo like other citizens, to a state pardon, the union said the offences committed by them were too weighty to deserve pardon.

The union said, “We are alarmed by the decision of the National Council of States to pardon Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, who was impeached as a governor and eventually convicted by a properly constituted court for stealing public funds, and Mr. Shetima Bulama, a former Managing Director of the Bank of the North, who was also convicted for misappropriating the bank’s funds.

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“While we appreciate that the Council of States does have a constitutional responsibility to pardon citizens, who have obviously been convicted or punished in the past for offences, it is totally unacceptable that those who committed economic crimes in such magnitude that affected public interest be granted state pardon.

“We still wonder what message the National Council of state is sending to Nigerians if at the height of unprecedented corruption in the country those prosecuted and jailed for stealing public money are granted state pardon.”

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