And the President pardoned! On the latest list of those granted State Pardon is a name that as generated some expected furore from the concerned public- DSP Alamieyeseigha, the former governor of Bayelsa state. There’s nothing new about such gestures from the presidency, at least we are aware of how the destiny of the nation was changed when a certain Otta farmer was granted such a privilege in 1999- how he blew the golden opportunity after returning to power is a topic for another day. So a President has the executive fiat to take such actions, but should such a privilege be abused and under what circumstances was it granted.
By some legal interpretation, unless a pardon expressly states that it is issued because of a determination that the recipient of the pardon was innocent, a pardon does not imply innocence. However, it is generally assumed that acceptance of a pardon is an implicit acknowledgment of guilt, for one cannot be pardoned unless one has committed a crime.
So, as I am thinking about the crime of Alamieyeseigha, I am also listening to Fela Kuti’s ‘Argument’ as the lines “you be thief” reverberates around my immediate space. When the news first broke, I thought to myself, it seems the special gas being inhaled at the Villa has been turned up a notch, or how does anyone logically rationalise this grandiose exculpation- more precisely, a Paddy-Paddy Pardon, by the Commander sorry Coxcomb-In-Chief of a convicted ‘drag queen’- a common thief that managed to evade incarceration in UK dressed as a woman. Evidently, this special pardon wasn’t granted because Alamieyeseigha was a ‘Prisoner of Conscience’, No! No! No! Rather, it was granted because his former subordinate in Bayelsa State is now sitting deceptively in Aso Rock. Is it not ludicrous James Ibori is languishing in a UK prison and Alamieyeseigha is getting a special treatment- I guess some (criminals) are more equal than others.
I wonder what explanation the usual suspects: Jonathan apologists and sycophants, would conjure for this executive absurdity, Reuben Abati especially.
In a Guardian Newspaper article titled “Alami Should Go: It’s Over, Abati wrote: “By running away from England under the cover of the night, away from the British judiciary which was probing him on charges of money laundering, by taking evasive action from the law and communicating with his feet, Alamieyeseigha, a man who until now was known and addressed as His Excellency, has shown himself to be a dishonourable fellow, unfit to rule, unfit to sit among men and women of honour and integrity, unfit to preach to the people that he leads about ideals and values…
All told, by conducting himself after the fashion of a common felon, Alamieyeseigha has brought the people of Bayelsa state and all Ijaws to great ridicule. If he was so supremely sure of his innocence in the matter, he should have stayed back in London to prove his innocence. If he had won victory through due process, he would have been a great hero and his points about conspiracy and the President of Nigeria not liking his face would have deserved more than a closer attention. But to jump bail, subvert the judicial process, only to show up in Yenagoa like a thief in the night, and then turn himself into a major means of measuring the moral fibre of the Nigerian society…” –Reuben Abati 25/11/05
The current views of Abati on the subject would be intriguing; now that he is cavorting with ‘Alami’s’ peers at the Villa. It is rather ironic the words ‘honour’ and ‘integrity’ were used as antonyms for debasing the criminal acts perpetrated by Alami, considering the latest ‘honour’ was granted by a person both Alami and now Abati are close to- a classic case of “honour amongst……” I suppose.
I wonder what type of ‘ideals’ and ‘values’ they think they are encouraging, and what type of insolence such a crass executive action emphasises within the populace? The succinct message being trumpeted by this ‘pardon’ simply means- crime pays. This perpetuates criminality in the polity, meaning as long as your people are in power, you have nothing to worry about- Carry Go! Such an executive decision entrenches lawlessness, promotes ‘above the law’ mentality and consolidates the achieving goals by any means necessary ethos. How can any of these men who evade justice preach to thieves caught on the streets to mend their evil ways, when they have stolen public funds on a grand scale- affecting the lives and futures of millions?
In reality, such oddities are actually in order, after all someone who should be tried for the misappropriation of billions of dollars emerged the chairman of one of our most lucrative government agencies (NPA). The same set of bandits that openly celebrated the prison release of one of their own in the South West with splendour; someone convicted based on his ignominious tenure at the same NPA coincidentally- his special State pardon is probably in the offing.
A government wasting tax payers funds to dig up dirt and investigate the tenure of a former minister who challenged them with hard facts on the depletion of our reserves- a debate they are yet to respond to. So from these perspectives, this pardon is in order.
All I am expecting now are the drums of support and commendation from his local community defending the indefensible and using the usual witch-hunt melody to deafen any form of criticism. It wouldn’t surprise me the least, if this pardoned criminal ends up in the senate for immunity purposes- a legislative pushing a bill to shield themselves from prosecution, shows just how daring the ruling class are.
I wonder how much more of this brashness the citizenry need rubbed in their faces like faeces before actually revolting- start demanding probity, transparency and equity from the recalcitrant ruling class. As we expect more of such ‘power shows’ and absurdities, let’s hope a permanent damage isn’t done to the country by the power drunk at the helm of affairs.
“Power tends to corrupt: absolute power corrupts absolutely” – John Dalberg-Acton.
www.momonologues.blogspot.com m.b.o.owolowo@gmail.com Twitter: @Owoism
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