‘He was never guilty’– Ambrose Alli’s family reacts to presidential pardon
Andrew
Alli, son of Ambrose Alli, says his family never believed that the late
governor of the defunct Bendel state was guilty of any crime.
Andrew
said this while reacting on behalf of his family to the posthumous
presidential pardon granted his father by President Muhammadu Buhari on
Thursday.
Ambrose Alli was a medical professor who served as the first civilian governor of Bendel state between 1979 and 1983.
He
was sentenced to 100 years in prison by a military tribunal during the
military regime of Buhari for allegedly misappropriating N983,000 in
funds for a road project.
He was later freed when Gabriel Igbinedion, Esama of Benin, paid a fine to the government.
He died on his 60th birthday on September 22, 1989, at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).
In
a series of tweets on his official Twitter handle, Andrew said his
family is yet to be officially informed of the development, adding that
they only learnt of the pardon via social media.
He, however, thanked the president, for the gesture.
He also expressed gratitude to Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo state, for acting as a catalyst to the development.
According
to Andrew, the presidential pardon is a testimony to the fact that his
father did no wrong “other than giving his all to improve the lot of the
people of the former Bendel”.
“We are aware of the announcement
concerning the pardon of my father, Professor Ambrose Alli, made by the
Government, via its social media pages,” Andrew wrote.
“Although
we are yet to receive any direct official communication on this matter,
we are pleased to hear that our father/uncle/brother/grandfather has
received a presidential pardon.
“We have never believed that
he was guilty of anything, other than giving his all to improve the lot
of the people of the former Bendel State and, indeed, Nigeria. This is
demonstrated by the enduring legacy that he left.
“We thank his
excellency, President Buhari, as well as his excellency Governor
Obaseki, and all those who have supported the process inside and outside
government, for their recognition of this fact.”
