Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned President Bola Tinubu’s recent grant of presidential pardon, describing it as a reckless act that undermines justice and emboldens criminality in Nigeria.
In a statement shared via his official X handle on Sunday, October 12, Atiku said the pardon was a misuse of presidential powers meant to uphold justice and promote moral reform.
“The recent announcement of a presidential pardon by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has, as expected, provoked outrage across the nation,” Atiku stated.
He explained that while the power of pardon was “a moral and constitutional instrument designed to temper justice with mercy,” Tinubu’s latest action had “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,” he said.
The former vice president expressed concern that the pardons came at a time when Nigeria was grappling with worsening insecurity, moral decay, and a rise 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.
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Atiku further cited reports indicating that “29.2% of those pardoned were convicted for drug-related crimes at a time when our youth are being destroyed by narcotics.”
He also drew attention to what he described as “moral irony” in the President’s decision, referencing Tinubu’s past controversies involving alleged forfeiture of funds in the United States.
“It is, therefore, no surprise that this administration continues to demonstrate a worrying tolerance for individuals associated with criminal enterprise,” he wrote.
Atiku said the move had made “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.”
He warned that clemency should not be equated with complicity, saying, “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.”
Concluding his statement, Atiku declared, “Nigeria deserves a leadership that upholds justice, not one that trivialises it.”