Abdullahi To Jonathan: Pardoning Alamieyeseigha Turned The International Community Against You

Bolaji Abdullahi, spokesman of the All Progressive Congress, APC, says the presidential pardon granted to DSP Alamieyeseigha by former President Goodluck Jonathan effectively turned the international community against him.

Abdullahi, who served as a minister under Jonathan from 2011-2014, stated this in his upcoming book titled ‘On a Platter of Gold’, in which he wrote on the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

But he also said it was not originally Jonathan’s idea to pardon his former boss.

The credit, according to him, would have gone to former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

Alamieyeseigha, who was the governor of Bayelsa state from 1999-2005, was detained in London on charges of money laundering in September 2005.

At the time of his arrest, Metropolitan police found about £1m in cash in his London home. Later they found a total of £1.8m in cash and bank accounts. He was found to own four homes in London worth an alleged £10 million.

He jumped bail in December 2005 from the United Kingdom by allegedly disguising himself as a woman and escaped to Nigeria.

On his return to Nigeria in on 9 December 2005, Alamieyeseigha was impeached and replaced with Jonathan, who was his deputy.

On July 26, 2007, Alamieyeseigha pleaded guilty before a Nigerian court to six charges and was sentenced to two years in prison, however after a plea bargain deal he was subsequently released.

On June 28, 2012, the United States (US) Department of Justice (DoJ) announced that it had executed an asset forfeiture order on $401,931 in a Massachusetts brokerage fund, traceable to Alamieyeseigha.

But on 12 March 2013, Alamieyeseigha was pardoned by President Goodluck Jonathan, but his pardoning was criticised by many.

Abdullahi in his book argued that the gesture by the ex-president was a big blow to his administration, despite not originally Jonathan’s idea to pardon his former boss.

“Of all the issues, the one that perhaps rankled the Americans more than any other was the March 2013 pardon for Diepreye Alamieyeseigha. The former Governor of Bayelsa State had, in July 2007, pleaded guilty to charges of corruption and money laundering brought against him by the EFCC; and was subsequently sentenced to two years in prison. However, because he had already spent two years in custody, he was deemed to have served his time and was allowed to go,” he wrote.

“While Jonathan is often credited or skewered for his former boss’ rehabilitation, the move was actually initiated by late President Yar’Adua who knew Alamieyeseigha from their time as governors and who also believed that the former governor’s release would help the amnesty deal that he was putting together in the Niger Delta. Despite his fall from grace, the former Bayelsa governor remained hugely popular with the militants.

“Shortly after becoming president, therefore, Yar’Adua sent word to his former colleague through Vice President Jonathan that he was worried about Alamieyeseigha’s state of health and would not like him to die in prison. The president offered a lifeline – if Alamieyeseigha would agree to plead guilty and forfeit the majority of his assets and monies to the Federal Government. On 25th July, Alamieyeseigha pleaded guilty before a Federal High Court Judge on the proposed terms; and was released from Ikoyi Prisons the following day.

“Jonathan and a number of other politicians began to push for a presidential pardon for Alamieyeseigha. Yar’Adua was initially receptive to the idea, until he received information that the former Bayelsa governor had teamed up with the president’s political rival, Atiku Abubakar, a behaviour Yar’Adua was disinclined to reward. Fate would however remove Yar’Adua from the equation and bring Jonathan in as president. From then on, Alamieyeseigha’s pardon became only a matter of time. Jonathan was hugely popular at home and abroad before the 2011 election. He was therefore, advised not to grant the pardon, so as not to damage his brand – especially in the eyes of the international community which regarded him as somewhat different from the traditional pack of Nigerian politicians. But the time would come.

“Jonathan did not have any real constituency or political structure of his own in Bayelsa. And so, with his eyes on the 2015 election, granting the pardon to a politician who remained very popular in the state would be a masterstroke, whether this was the intention or not. It would also be a good way to generate real support for himself in Bayelsa, where he faced serious political challenge from his successor, Timipre Sylva. When Jonathan raised the matter at the National Council of State, there was not a single dissenting voice. Even if there was, it was not likely to matter under the circumstance.

“One South-South governor who spoke strongly in support of the proposal argued that Alamieyeseigha had, more than anything else, been a victim of political persecution by former President Obasanjo. The announcement of the pardon was met with wide condemnation, with former Chairman of EFCC, Nuhu Ribadu, declaring it as the ‘final nail’ in the coffin of the fight against corruption under Jonathan. The president responded with an uncharacteristic bullheadedness, saying he owed no one any apology for his action. The Americans condemned the pardon and even threatened to cut aid to Nigeria. Rather than punish innocent Nigerians by cutting aid, perhaps America decided to bide its time – until the opportunity presented itself to hit Jonathan where it hurt.”