Presidential Pardon: Tinubu ‘Reckless, Undermining Nigeria Justice System’- VP Atiku
Former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has described the recent presidential pardon carried by President Bola Tinubu as a “reckless” action that “undermines” Nigeria’s justice system.
According to the former Vice President, in a statement he personally issued on Sunday in Abuja, “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.”
Atiku stated that the action of President Tinubu has greatly undermined the country’s effort at curbing insecurity and crime.
Atiku who made allusion to President Tinubu’s drug related case in the United States of America maintained that Nigeria needs leaders that “that upholds justice, not one that trivializes it”
Part of Atiku’s statement reads:
“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.
