The Presidency has responded to the statement by Governor Nyesom Wike condemning the present administration for granting presidential pardon to former Governors of Plateau and Taraba States.

Wike had days ago described the pardon as totally against Buhari’s anti-corruption crusade.

Senator Joshua Dariye of Plateau State and Jolly Nyame of Taraba State, were recently pardoned on health and age grounds when they still have several years to complete their jail terms.

According to Wike, Buhari ridiculed the judiciary and the anti-corruption crusade of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) by pardoning the ex-governors.

Reacting, Buhari’s spokesman, Garba Shehu in a post on his verified Twitter page, said Wike’s criticism lacked moral justification.

Garba Shehu wrote: “I do not see the moral justification for Governor Wike’s criticism of the decision of the government to pardon Governors Dariye and Nyame at a meeting to which he was duly invited but didn’t attend.

“The Rivers State Deputy Governor, Dr. Ipalibo Banigo who had joined the Council of State meeting virtually switched off her camera, so it was difficult to determine whether she sat behind the dark screen or just walked away after first joining.”

Shehu stated that releasing a press release about the Governors’ pardon after Wike refused to attend a meeting on the decision is “bolekaja politics’”.

“If the Governor (Wike) felt so strongly about the pardons, the right thing was for him or his representative to sit through the meeting and assert views.

“This he did not do. A press release after the meeting is bolekaja politics,” Shehu said.