The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s recent decision to grant presidential pardons to several convicted drug traffickers and smugglers, describing it as a national embarrassment that undermines Nigeria’s fight against narcotics.
In a statement issued on Sunday, October 12, and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said the move was “pathetic and a national disgrace,” warning that it could encourage crime and further damage Nigeria’s global image.
“The African Democratic Congress (ADC) finds as pathetic and an act of immense national disgrace the recent presidential pardon and clemency granted to several convicted criminals by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” the statement read.
The party accused the president of abusing the power of pardon by granting clemency to offenders convicted of serious crimes, including drug trafficking, smuggling, and murder, many of whom, it said, “have barely served two years in jail for offences that carry a penalty of life imprisonment.”
According to the ADC, official information suggested that “all it takes to get presidential clemency for even the worst of crimes in Nigeria, including drug trafficking, gun running, and murder, is to ‘show remorse and learn skills.’”
The party emphasised that the purpose of clemency should be to correct miscarriages of justice and reward genuine rehabilitation, not to release dangerous offenders prematurely.
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“We wonder what Nigeria stands to benefit from this act of clemency to convicts serving life sentences who have barely served two years,” it added.
Citing Nigeria’s escalating drug crisis, the ADC pointed out that “Nigeria’s drug use stands at an estimated 14.4%, almost three times the global average of 5.5%,” arguing that such pardons make a mockery of the sacrifices of law enforcement officers who have risked their lives to combat the drug menace.
“Granting clemency to individuals convicted under such laws therefore strikes at the very foundation of Nigeria’s legal and moral stance against narcotics and makes a mockery of the gallant efforts of officers fighting the battle against narcotics and illicit drugs,” the statement noted.
The party also warned that the decision could have diplomatic consequences, saying it “undercuts our standing among global partners in the fight against drug trafficking and gives the unfortunate impression to the rest of the world that our country, under President Tinubu, has particular sympathy for drug dealers.”
Concluding, Abdullahi said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was eroding national values and moral standards. “With this mass clemency for drug dealers, President Tinubu and the APC are redefining the standard of morality in our country,” he said.
He reiterated that the ADC’s mission remained “to rescue our country from this ruling party, the APC, to whom public opinion or accountability means nothing, and power and impunity mean everything.”