By Sodiq Adelakun
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for what he described as the “reckless and morally indefensible” use of presidential pardon.
Recently, 175 individuals received presidential pardon following approval by the National Council of State. Among the beneficiaries were prominent figures such as Herbert Macaulay, Farouk Lawan, Mamman Vatsa, and Maryam Sanda, alongside drug offenders, illegal miners, white-collar convicts, and foreign nationals.
Nigerian NewsDirect reports that Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, said Tinubu granted clemency primarily based on reports that the convicts had shown remorse and good conduct.
In a statement on his verified X handle on Sunday, Abubakar said the latest exercise of clemency “undermines justice and emboldens criminality,” asserting that it betrays the constitutional purpose of the presidential pardon.
According to him, “The recent announcement of a presidential pardon by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has, as expected, provoked outrage across the nation.
Ordinarily, the power of presidential pardon is a solemn prerogative, a moral and constitutional instrument designed to temper justice with mercy and to underscore the humanity of the state. 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.”
Abubakar criticised the inclusion of individuals convicted for serious crimes such as drug trafficking, kidnapping, murder, and corruption.
He warned that the pardon diminishes the sanctity of justice and sends “a dangerous signal to the public and the international community about the values this government upholds.”
“At a time when Nigeria continues to reel under insecurity, moral decay, and a surge in drug-related offences, it is both shocking and indefensible that the presidency would prioritise clemency for those whose actions have directly undermined national stability and social order,” he added.
He further noted that nearly a third of those pardoned were convicted for drug-related crimes, a development he described as “particularly worrisome” given the nation’s ongoing struggle with narcotics.
He also highlighted the “moral irony” that the pardon comes from a president whose past remains clouded by unresolved issues linked to the forfeiture of funds to the United States in drug-related investigations.
According to Abubakar, presidential clemency should symbolize “restitution and moral reform,” but the recent exercise “has become 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 reiterated: “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.”
