Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has condemned President Bola Tinubu’s latest use of the presidential pardon, describing it as a reckless act that undermines justice and accountability.
In a statement posted on his X handle, yesterday, Atiku said the presidential prerogative of mercy is meant to balance justice with compassion, not to trivialise criminality.
He faulted the most recent round of pardons, saying it has reduced the process “to a mere triviality.”
President Tinubu had, on Thursday, granted clemency to 175 convicts and former convicts, including the late Major General Mamman Vatsa, Major Akubo, Professor Magaji Garba, Maryam Sanda, Ken Saro-Wiwa, and other members of the Ogoni Eight.
According to a statement from the Presidency, the decision followed recommendations by the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, chaired by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN.
The clemency also covered persons convicted of serious crimes such as homicide, illegal mining, and fraud.
Reacting, Atiku condemned the inclusion of such offenders, arguing that it undermines public confidence in the criminal justice system and, in his words, “emboldens criminality.”
He maintained that the exercise of clemency should never become an accomplice to crime or erode the foundations of justice.
“Ordinarily, the power of presidential pardon is a solemn prerogative — a moral and constitutional instrument designed to temper justice with mercy and underscore the humanity of the state,” Atiku stated.
“When properly exercised, it elevates justice and strengthens public faith in governance. Regrettably, the latest pardon issued by the Tinubu administration has done the very opposite.
“The decision to extend clemency to individuals convicted of grave crimes such as drug trafficking, kidnapping, murder, and corruption not only diminishes the sanctity of justice but also sends a dangerous signal to the public and the international community about the values this government upholds.”
He added that at a time when Nigeria is battling insecurity, moral decline, and rising drug-related offences, it was “both shocking and indefensible” for the Presidency to prioritise clemency for individuals who have undermined national stability and social order.
Atiku described as particularly worrying the revelation that about 29.2 per cent of those pardoned were convicted for drug-related crimes, noting that the move was insensitive to the nation’s struggle against narcotics and the vulnerability of Nigerian youths.
“Even more disturbing,” he said, “is the moral irony that this act of clemency comes from a President whose past remains clouded by unresolved issues relating to the forfeiture of thousands of dollars to the United States government over drug-related investigations.”
The former Vice President noted that a presidential pardon should symbolise restitution and moral reform, not mockery of justice.
“What we have witnessed is a mockery of the criminal justice system, an affront to victims, a demoralisation of law enforcement, and a grave injury to the conscience of the nation,” he said.
“Clemency must never be confused with complicity. When a government begins to absolve offenders of the very crimes it claims to be fighting, it erodes the moral authority of leadership and emboldens lawlessness. Nigeria deserves a leadership that upholds justice, not one that trivialises it.”
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