Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has condemned President Bola Tinubu’s latest use of the presidential pardon, describing it as a reckless act that undermines justice and accountability.
In a statement posted on his X handle, yesterday, Atiku said the presidential prerogative of mercy is meant to balance justice with compassion, not to trivialise criminality.
He faulted the most recent round of pardons, saying it has reduced the process “to a mere triviality.”
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, Ken Saro-Wiwa, and other members of the Ogoni Eight.
According to a statement from the Presidency, the decision followed recommendations by the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, chaired by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN.
The clemency also covered persons convicted of serious crimes such as homicide, illegal mining, and fraud.
Reacting, Atiku condemned the inclusion of such offenders, arguing that it undermines public confidence in the criminal justice system and, in his words, “emboldens criminality.”
He maintained that the exercise of clemency should never become an accomplice to crime or erode the foundations of justice.
“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,” Atiku stated.
“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.
