‘It undermines justice, emboldens criminality’ — Atiku slams Tinubu over ‘reckless’ presidential pardon

Atiku Abubakar, former vice president has criticised President Bola Tinubu over what he described as a “reckless and morally indefensible” use of presidential pardon.

In a statement on Sunday, Atiku said the latest round of clemency granted by the president “undermines justice and emboldens criminality,” adding that it betrays the spirit of mercy and moral responsibility that the constitutional power was designed to represent.

“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 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,” he said

Atiku argued that granting clemency to individuals convicted of serious crimes not only diminishes the sanctity of justice but also sends a dangerous message to Nigerians and the international community about the values this government upholds.

“At a time when Nigeria is reeling 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 said.

The former vice-president described as “particularly troubling” the revelation that almost a third of those pardoned were convicted for drug-related offences.

“Particularly worrisome is the revelation that 29.2 percent of those pardoned were convicted for drug-related crimes at a time when our youth are being destroyed by narcotics, and our nation is still struggling to cleanse its image from the global stain of drug offences.

“Even more disturbing is the moral irony that this act of clemency is coming from a president whose own past remains clouded by unresolved issues relating to the forfeiture of thousands of dollars to the United States government over drug-related investigations,” Atiku said

Atiku said the act “makes a mockery of the criminal justice system, affronts victims, demoralises law enforcement, and inflicts a grave injury on the conscience of the nation.”

“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,” he added.

Recently, the federal government granted presidential pardon to 175 persons following the approval of the national council of state.

Among those pardoned were Herbert Macaulay, Nigeria’s nationalist; Farouk Lawan, a former member of the house of representatives; Mamman Vatsa, a poet and major general executed in 1986 over alleged treason; and Maryam Sanda, sentenced to death in 2017 for killing her husband.

Others included drug offenders, illegal miners, white-collar criminals, and foreigners.

On Saturday, Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, said the clemency was granted after reports indicated that many of the convicts had shown remorse and good conduct while in custody.