Following the posthumous presidential pardon granted to Ambrose Alli, the late Governor of the defunct Bendel state, his son has said there was no need for the amnesty.
Andrew Ambrose Alli, in a series of tweets on his official Twitter handle on Thursday, told President Muhammadu Buhari that his family never believed that their late father was guilty of any crime.
He said the presidential pardon shows that his father did no wrong “other than giving his all to improve the lot of the people of the former Bendel”.
Andrew said his family is yet to be officially informed of the development, adding that they only learned of the pardon via social media.
He, however, thanked the president for the pardon and also appreciated governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo state for supporting the amnesty granted to his father.
“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.”
Ambrose Alli was a medical professor who served as the first civilian governor of Bendel state between 1979 and 1983.
The former governor 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. Ambrose Alli died on his 60th birthday on September 22, 1989, at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).
