Despite granting convicted looters Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame state pardon, no Nigerians hate corruption more than President Muhammadu Buhari, claims Femi Adesina, the president’s image maker.

Messrs Dariye and Nyame, former governors of Plateau and Taraba States, had been serving time in prison for multimillion-naira fraud before they were granted clemency, alongside about 150 other Nigerians, at the last Council of State meeting.

The development has generated debates with many critics excoriating Mr Buhari, who rode to power on his anti-corruption posturing, for turning around to condone corruption.

The Dariye-Nyame question was put to Mr Adesina while appearing on Channels TV on Friday.

Asked if it was morally right for Mr Buhari, who had vowed to kill corruption, to pardon the former governors, Mr Adesina said his principal displayed “higher morality” by granting the pardon.

“Nobody abhors corruption than the President (Mr Buhari),” Mr Adesina said. “So for him to have even concurred to the recommendation of that prerogative of mercy committee is a higher morality.”

Speaking further, Mr Adesina said “I have not seen how that pardon vitiates the war against corruption in anyway. I have not seen it because the war continues.”

Before now, Peoples Gazette had reported how Mr Buhari associates with and endorsed corrupt politicians within his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In 2019, Mr Buhari publicly endorsed Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, though Daily Nigerian had exposed Mr Ganduje in a video where he was captured stashing kickbacks in dollars into his flowing robe.

The Gazette had also exposed how the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) transferred over N800 million of public funds to Isa Funtua, a long-time political associate of Mr Buhari.