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Opposition parties and political figures, including the African Democratic Congress and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, have condemned President Bola Tinubu’s recent decision to grant presidential pardons to dozens of convicted criminals, including drug traffickers, describing the move as a grave setback to Nigeria’s anti-drug campaign and a dangerous affront to justice and morality.
The Presidency on Saturday released a detailed list of 175 individuals granted the 2025 presidential pardon, among them the late nationalist Herbert Macaulay, the late Major General Mamman Vatsa, and Maryam Sanda, who was sentenced to death for killing her husband.
The pardon, which also included presidential clemency, covered more than 30 convicted drug offenders and several others jailed for crimes such as homicide, fraud, and illegal mining. The development has sparked widespread criticism and debate across the country.
In a statement on Sunday, ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, described the move as “pathetic and a national disgrace,” arguing that it undermines the nation’s war against drugs, encourages criminality, and damages Nigeria’s international reputation.
“The African Democratic Congress 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.
“It amounts to a most irresponsible abuse of the presidential power of prerogative of mercy to grant express pardon to dozens of convicts held for drug trafficking, smuggling, and related offences—especially when most of these convicts have barely served two years in jail for crimes that attract life imprisonment.”
The party said the decision sends a disturbing message that remorse and token rehabilitation are now sufficient grounds for freedom, even for serious crimes.
“According to official statements, it appears 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,” ADC said.
It added that the purpose of pardon and clemency is to correct miscarriages of justice and reintegrate those who have genuinely paid their debt to society, not to excuse dangerous offenders.
“We wonder what Nigeria stands to gain from this act of clemency to convicts serving life sentences who have barely served two years.
“For years, NDLEA officers have risked life and limb to combat this problem,” the party said. “Granting clemency to individuals convicted under such laws makes a mockery of their sacrifice and gives the world the impression that Nigeria, under President Tinubu, is sympathetic to drug dealers and a safe haven for traffickers.”
Also, Atiku said the pardon had “rightly sparked nationwide outrage.”
Atiku said while the presidential power of mercy is intended to balance justice with compassion, its misuse weakens confidence in the rule of law.
“Regrettably, the latest pardon issued by the Tinubu administration has done the very opposite,” Atiku said. “Extending clemency to individuals convicted of grave crimes such as drug trafficking, kidnapping, murder, and corruption diminishes the sanctity of justice and sends a dangerous signal to both the public and the international community.”
He described the decision as “shocking and indefensible” at a time when Nigeria is grappling with insecurity, moral decay, and a surge in drug-related crimes.
“Particularly worrisome,” he added, “is the revelation that 29.2 per cent of those pardoned were convicted for drug-related offences, even as our youth are being destroyed by narcotics and our nation continues to battle the global stigma of drug offences.”
In a pointed criticism, Atiku said the pardon raises “moral irony” given the lingering questions about Tinubu’s past in relation to a U.S. drug-related forfeiture case, noting that “it is therefore no surprise that this administration continues to show tolerance for individuals associated with criminal enterprise.”
“A presidential pardon should symbolise restitution and moral reform. Instead, what we have witnessed is a mockery of the criminal justice system, an affront to victims, and a demoralization of law enforcement.
“Clemency must never be confused with complicity. When a government begins to absolve offenders of the very crimes it claims to be fighting, it erodes moral authority and emboldens lawlessness.”
Atiku called for a review of the clemency process to ensure transparency, fairness, and respect for public interest, insisting that “Nigeria needs leaders who defend justice, not those who undermine i
Credit: Punch
