By Folorunso Alagbede, Abuja
Former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has faulted President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decision to extend clemency to individuals convicted of grave crimes such as drug trafficking, kidnapping, murder, and corruption.
Atiku said that such decision did not only diminish the sanctity of justice but also sends a dangerous signal to the public and the international community about the values this government upholds.
The former Vice President said this a press statement issued by him on Sunday in Abuja.
The President, it will be recalled, had few days ago granted clemency to 175 persons who were convicted of different crimes.
Atiku, a two-time presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who has now defected to the African Democratic Congres, ADC, lamented that 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 prioritize clemency for those whose actions have directly undermined national stability and social order.
Particularly worrisome, he said, is the revelation that 29.2% percent of those pardoned were convicted for drug-related crimes at a time when the nation’s youth are being destroyed by narcotics, with the country still struggling to cleanse its image from the global stain of drug offences.
Atiku stressed that 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.
He stated that it is, therefore, no surprise that this administration continues to demonstrate a worrying tolerance for individuals associated with criminal enterprise.
The statement by Atiku reads: “The recent announcement of a presidential pardon by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has, as expected, provoked outrage across the nation.
“Ordinarily, the power of presidential pardon is a solemn prerogative, a moral and constitutional instrument designed to temper justice with mercy and to underscore the humanity of the state.
“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.
“The decision to extend clemency to individuals convicted of grave crimes such as drug trafficking, kidnapping, murder, and corruption not only diminishes the sanctity of justice but also sends a dangerous signal to the public and the international community about the values this government upholds.
“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 prioritize clemency for those whose actions have directly undermined national stability and social order.
“Particularly worrisome is the revelation that 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.
“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.
“It is, therefore, no surprise that this administration continues to demonstrate a worrying tolerance for individuals associated with criminal enterprise.
“A presidential pardon is meant to symbolize restitution and moral reform. Instead, 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.
“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 the moral authority of leadership and emboldens lawlessness.
“Nigeria deserves a leadership that upholds justice, not one that trivializes it”, Atiku said.
