Atiku Slams Tinubu’s Presidential Pardon, Says It “Emboldens Criminality”

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

In a statement shared on his X handle yesterday, Atiku said the presidential prerogative of mercy is meant “to balance justice with compassion, not to trivialise criminality,” adding that Tinubu’s latest action has turned the process “into a mere triviality.”

President Tinubu had, on Thursday, granted clemency to 175 individuals — both 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.

A statement from 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 faulted the inclusion of persons convicted of serious offences such as homicide, fraud, and illegal mining, warning that such actions “undermine public confidence in the criminal justice system and embolden criminality.”

“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,” he said.

“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.”

Atiku further stated that, at a time when Nigeria is facing insecurity, moral decline, and a surge in drug-related offences, it was “both shocking and indefensible” for the Presidency to prioritise clemency for people “who have undermined national stability and social order.”

He expressed concern that about 29.2 per cent of those pardoned were convicted for drug-related crimes, calling the move insensitive to Nigeria’s ongoing struggle against narcotics and youth vulnerability.

“Even more disturbing,” Atiku added, “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.”

He stressed that the presidential pardon should symbolise repentance and moral reform, not “a 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,” Atiku 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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