Facts emerged on Wednesday that permutations ahead of 2015  were responsible for the presidential pardon granted a  former Governor of Bayelsa State,  Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, along with four others.

Investigations showed that President Goodluck Jonathan  had recently come under pressure by ex-militants, who have increasingly become critical of his style of leadership.

It was learnt that  Jonathan was concerned that any restiveness in Niger Delta could rob him of the much- needed home support ahead of  the 2015  presidential poll.

A competent source in the Presidency  told The PUNCH  that the President was banking on the intervention of Alamieyeseigha, in reaching out to the ex-militants, who believed that he(Jonathan) had not sufficiently addressed the problems in the Niger Delta.

Our source added that Jonathan  was equally aware of Alamieyeseigha’s  desire to return to the political arena   with a possible shot  at the Senate  in  2015.

Close associates of  the President  were said to have drawn  his attention to the fact that he could use his presidential powers to pardon  the former governor  thus solving  twin problems –  his  2015 challenge and the “political debts” he owed  the former governor.

His attention was also called  to the fact that this would not be the first time such powers came in handy  in  dealing  with potentially challenging situations.

Apart from Chief Obafemi Awolowo,  who was pardoned by the Gen. Yakubu Gowon regime, the administration of Shehu Shagari pardoned Gowon and Dim Chukwuemeka Ojukwu,  who returned and immediately joined politics.

As recent as 1999, the Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar regime pardoned Chief Olusegun Obasanjo,  who was convicted and given a long prison sentence by the Sani  Abacha junta for treason.

The pardon  paved the way for Obasanjo to contest and win the 1999 presidential election.

A source, who  confided in one of our correspondents, said, “Everything  is political. Alamieyeseigha  has a senatorial ambition;  the ex-militants are angry with the President. The President wants the man to intervene and speak with the ex-militants as 2015 approaches.”

via Punch