The former Governor of Plateau State, Senator Joshua Dariye, was treated to a heroic welcome in Plateau as people of the state trooped out in thousands to receive him, while the former governor thanked President Mohammadu Buhari for the presidential pardon.
Senator Dariye was granted a presidential pardon by the Council of States with the former governor of Taraba State, Reverend Jolly Nyame, and 145 others.
On arrival, former Governor Dariye visited various stakeholders in the state, including Governor Simon Lalong, chairman of the Plateau State Traditional Council, the Gbong Gwom Jos Day Jacob Gyang Buba, Jamatu Nasril Islam, and the Christian Association of Nigeria, among others.
At a civic reception organised in his honour at Lang Field Event Centre on Wednesday, Senator Joshua Dariye expressed gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari for the presidential pardon he granted him and Jolly Nyame.
Dariye also acknowledged the prayers of the people of the state for his freedom, saying “your prayers have been answered by God and I’m now free and give God the glory for preserving his life throughout his trial.”
“We are here to rejoice because this is the day that the Lord has made. First of all, let me thank God for his mercy and President Muhammadu Buhari, who was so magnanimous and gracious in granting us this presidential pardon.
“It is not the time of long speeches. If you have PVC, then you are my friend. Very soon we are going to meet and see among the candidates who can lead us to victory and promise land. It’s not about sentiment, tribe, or turn; it’s about competence, capability, vision, and strength.
So, every time, my prayer is that God would bring a man who is committed to the poor, widows, downtrodden, and neglected, and who will not choose between roads in urban and rural areas. So by the grace of God, we will fix this all together. “