Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has sharply criticized the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over its controversial handling of a recent presidential pardon list, describing the government’s actions as “an act of shame, not wisdom.”
In a statement released by his media aide, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku condemned the initial inclusion of convicted drug traffickers, kidnappers, and other hardened criminals in the federal government’s prerogative of mercy. He argued that the subsequent reversal of those pardons — following widespread public outrage — exposed a lack of foresight and moral clarity within the Tinubu administration.
“Once again, Nigerians have witnessed a government that doesn’t lead — it reacts,” Atiku said. “President Bola Tinubu has ‘cancelled’ his own pardon for drug traffickers, kidnappers, and other hardened criminals — but only after Nigerians shouted loud enough to wake him from his moral slumber.”
The controversy erupted after the Presidency released a list of 175 individuals granted clemency, including Maryam Sanda, convicted of murdering her husband, and several individuals convicted of serious offenses such as drug trafficking and kidnapping. Following intense backlash, the Tinubu administration revoked many of the pardons, including Sanda’s, whose death sentence was commuted to 12 years’ imprisonment on “compassionate grounds.”
Atiku questioned the integrity of the process that led to the initial approvals, calling for greater transparency and accountability in the exercise of presidential powers. “This U-turn is not an act of wisdom — it is an act of shame,” he stated, adding that the episode raises fundamental concerns about governance and justice in Nigeria.