Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticized President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent grant of presidential pardons, calling it a reckless misuse of executive power that weakens Nigeria’s justice system and emboldens criminal behavior.
In a strongly worded statement on Saturday, Atiku said extending clemency to individuals convicted of serious crimes, including drug trafficking, kidnapping, murder, and corruption was “shocking and indefensible.”
He argued that the constitutional power of pardon, meant to temper justice with mercy, had been grossly abused by the Tinubu administration, thereby eroding public trust in the rule of law.
“At a time when Nigeria is struggling with insecurity, moral decay, and rising drug-related offences, it is deeply troubling that the presidency would prioritize clemency for those whose actions have undermined national stability and social order,” Atiku said.
Citing reports that nearly 30 percent of those pardoned were convicted for drug-related offences, the former vice president described the move as “particularly insensitive” given Nigeria’s ongoing battle against narcotics abuse and its fragile international reputation.
Atiku also referenced what he described as “the moral irony” of the decision, alluding to past allegations linking President Tinubu to drug-related investigations in the United States.
“It is no surprise that this administration continues to show tolerance toward individuals associated with criminal enterprise,” he added.
The former vice president warned that the mass pardon mocked the criminal justice system, demoralized law enforcement officers, and disrespected victims of crime.
“Clemency must never be confused with complicity,” Atiku said. “When a government absolves offenders of the very crimes it claims to be fighting, it loses moral authority and encourages lawlessness.”
He called on Nigerians to demand integrity and accountability from their leaders, saying, “Nigeria deserves a government that upholds justice, not one that trivializes it.”
