Atiku slams Tinubu over Presidential Pardons, says It undermines Justice, encourages criminality

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s recent exercise of presidential pardon, describing it as reckless and damaging to Nigeria’s justice system.

In a statement posted on his X handle on Sunday, Atiku said the presidential prerogative of mercy should be used to balance justice with compassion, not to trivialise or compromise accountability.

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, and Ken Saro-Wiwa along with the Ogoni Eight.

The presidency explained that the decision followed 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).

However, Atiku condemned the inclusion of persons convicted of serious crimes such as homicide, illegal mining, and fraud, saying it “undermines public confidence in the criminal justice system and emboldens criminality.”

“Ordinarily, the power of presidential pardon is a solemn prerogative, designed to temper justice with mercy and to underscore the humanity of the state. When properly exercised, it strengthens public faith in governance,” Atiku stated.

He added that the Tinubu administration’s latest pardons had done “the very opposite,” noting that extending clemency to people convicted of “grave crimes such as drug trafficking, kidnapping, murder, and corruption” sends a dangerous message both locally and internationally.

The former vice president expressed particular concern over the number of individuals convicted for drug-related offences among those pardoned, stressing that it was troubling at a time when Nigeria faces rising cases of drug abuse among its youth.

“Particularly worrisome is that 29.2% of those pardoned were convicted for drug-related crimes, at a time when our youth are being destroyed by narcotics,” he said.

Atiku also drew attention to what he described as the “moral irony” of the move, recalling President Tinubu’s past links to unresolved issues of drug-related investigations in the United States.

“It is no surprise that this administration continues to show tolerance for individuals associated with criminal enterprise,” he added.

He concluded that the act of clemency had turned into “a mockery of the justice system,” arguing that “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 moral authority and emboldens lawlessness. Nigeria deserves a leadership that upholds justice, not one that trivialises it,” Atiku stated.