Ex-governor Dariye who is serving jail time for fraud appointed into APC campaign council

- Joshua Dariye has been appointed as a member of the campaign council for the re-election of Governor Simon Lalong

- Dariye who is a former governor is currently serving jail time in Kuje prison

- The former governor was found guilty of diverting N1.7 billion state ecological fund when he was governor

Ahead of the 2019 general elections, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has appointed Joshua Dariye who is currently serving jail time in Kuje prison as a member of the campaign council for the re-election of Governor Simon Lalong.

This appointment was announced in a statement issued by Yakubu Dati, the Plateau state commissioner for information and communication, Premium Times reports.

Dariye who was a former governor of Plateau state between 1999 and 2007 was in June 2018 sentenced to 14 years in prison by an Abuja high court for stealing state funds while in office.

It should however be noted that the former governor who is also a serving senator representing Plateau Central in the Senate got a relief when the Court of Appeal in Abuja reduced the jail term to 10 years.

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Dariye was found guilty of diverting N1.7 billion state ecological fund when he was governor.

However, giving reason for the appointment, a special assistant on media to the governor, Mark Longyn, said: “There’s actually nothing wrong in the party’s inclusion of former Governor Dariye’s name in the list. For one, Dariye has appealed his conviction and who knows if the Supreme Court would upturn the judgment of the lower court tomorrow and free him to join in the campaign?

“Besides, politics is local and the former governor remains a great political asset in Plateau State today. Even while in custody, Dariye has a right to appeal his conviction, which he has exercised, and is eagerly awaiting its positive outcome. Don’t forget that his seat in the National Assembly is still intact for same reason."

Going further, he added that Dariye’s political influence remains unmatched by any former governor. He said if Dariye were to contest any elective position in Plateau state against any opponent today he would win with a landslide.

“It is on record in this country that Senator Iyiola Omisore and ex-Abia governor Orji won elections while in custody. People should understand that the hullabaloo over the inclusion of Dariye’s name is simply the handiwork of opposition elements seeking to make a mountain out of an anthill," he added.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission boasted on Thursday, December 27, that it secured the conviction of no fewer than 312 Nigerians who were arrested and tried for various acts of corruption between January and December 24.

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Legit.ng reported that the anti-graft agency, in a statement by its acting spokesman, Tony Orilade, described the record of convictions as ‘undoubtedly’ a significant improvement on the 189 convictions recorded in 2017.

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Source: Legit.ng