Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has slammed President Bola Tinubu’s recent presidential pardon, saying it undermined justice and emboldens criminality.
In a statement posted on his X handle on Sunday, Atiku Abubakar noted that the presidential prerogative of mercy was intended to balance justice with compassion.
Atiku criticised the pardon, which was granted to 175 convicts and former convicts, including those convicted of serious crimes such as homicide, illegal mining, and fraud.
President Tinubu, on Thursday, granted clemency to 175 convicts and former convicts, including notable figures such as the late Major General Mamman Vatsa, Major Akubo, Professor Magaji Garba, Maryam Sanda, Ken Saro-Wiwa, and the other members of the Ogoni Eight.
According to a statement from the Presidency, the decision was based on recommendations from the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, chaired by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).
Atiku believed the pardon diminished the sanctity of justice and sends a wrong signal to the public and international community.
He argued that the pardon would embolden lawlessness and erode the moral authority of leadership.
Atiku found it disturbing that 29.2 per cent of those pardoned were convicted of drug-related crimes, given Nigeria’s ongoing battle against drug abuse.
He questioned the Tinubu administration’s commitment to fighting crime, citing the President’s own past issues with drug-related investigations.
“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.
”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.
“At a time when Nigeria continues to reel under the weight of 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,” the statement said.
Atiku however noted that Nigeria deserved a leadership that upholds justice, not one that trivialised it.
