Atiku condemns Tinubu’s presidential pardons, tags it ‘mockery of justice’
Atiku Abubakar
Abdullateef Fowewe
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has strongly criticised President Bola Tinubu’s recent use of presidential pardons, labeling the move as reckless and damaging to Nigeria’s justice system.
In a statement on X, Atiku said, “Tinubu’s Reckless Use of Presidential Pardon Undermines Justice and Emboldens Criminality.”
Atiku emphasised that while presidential pardons are “a solemn prerogative” meant to balance justice with mercy, Tinubu’s latest clemency decisions have done the opposite.
He pointed out that pardoning individuals convicted of serious crimes, including drug trafficking, kidnapping, murder, and corruption, “diminishes the sanctity of justice but also sends a dangerous signal to the public and the international community about the values this government upholds.”
Highlighting Nigeria’s current challenges, Atiku stated, “At a time when Nigeria continues to reel under the weight of 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 also noted the troubling statistics behind the pardons stating, “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.”
Atiku further criticized the moral implications of the pardons, reminding Nigerians of Tinubu’s controversial past.
He said, “Even more disturbing is the moral irony that this act of clemency is coming from a President whose own past remains clouded by unresolved and unexplained issues relating to the forfeiture of thousands of dollars to the United States government over drug-related investigations.”
Calling the pardons a betrayal of justice, Atiku concluded, “What we have witnessed is a mockery of the criminal justice system, an affront to victims, a demoralization of law enforcement, and a grave injury to the conscience of the nation. Nigeria deserves a leadership that upholds justice, not one that trivializes it.”
