Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has expressed gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari and the Council of State over their decision to grant state pardon to former Governors of Plateau and Taraba States, Senator Joshua Dariye and Rev. Jolly Nyame.
The duo of Dariye and Nyame had been found guilty of financial misappropriation during their time as governors between 1999 and 2007 and were duly convicted by the courts to Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja.
Meanwhile, fortune smiled on the two former governors on Thursday, April 14, 2022, when the National Council of States chaired by Buhari met in Abuja and considered the state pardon for them and 157 others.
Recall that Ortom, while appearing on an ARISE TV programme a fortnight ago, had urged the federal government to review the cases of the two former governors, with a view to granting the state pardon.
Reacting to his wishes being granted, the Benue governor thanked Buhari for his act of magnanimity, newsmen reported.
In a statement, Ortom’s spokesman, Nathaniel Ikyur, quoted his principal to have praised the president, the National Council of States, and the federal government over the kind gesture.
He also noted that the two former governors must have learnt some lessons from the recent ordeal.
Ortom also used the opportunity to thank friends, family members, and political associates of the two leaders who stood by them all through the period of their incarceration.
