Ex-Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Tinubu of abusing the presidential power of mercy by granting pardons and clemency to 175 people, saying the move “undermines the sanctity of justice” and risks encouraging lawlessness.

In a statement via his X handle on Sunday, Atiku said the prerogative of mercy is meant to temper justice with compassion but had been “trivialised” by the latest round of pardons.

Tinubu on Thursday granted presidential pardons to 175 persons, including the late nationalist, Herbert Macaulay, the late Major General Mamman Vatsa, and Maryam Sanda, who was sentenced to death for murdering her husband.

Presenting the full list of beneficiaries in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Saturday, said the decision followed recommendations by the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, chaired by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).

The pardon also includes presidential clemency, which frees people convicted of offences ranging from homicide, illegal mining to fraud.

Atiku criticised the inclusion of people convicted of serious offences, saying the clemency list weakens public faith in the criminal-justice system and “emboldens criminality.”

He argued that clemency must not be allowed to become complicit with crime and diminish justice.

The statement read, “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 prioritise clemency for those whose actions have directly undermined national stability and social order.”

Atiku singled out the number of drug-related convictions among those pardoned, saying the decision was particularly troubling given the country’s ongoing fight against narcotics and youth vulnerability.

“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,” he stated.

Atiku also referenced “unresolved” questions about President Tinubu’s own past financial and legal entanglements in foreign jurisdictions, saying the timing and composition of the pardons raise “moral and political” concerns.

“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.”

He added, “A presidential pardon is meant to symbolise restitution and moral reform. Instead, what we have witnessed is a mockery of the criminal justice system, an affront to victims, a demoralisation 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 trivialises it.”

Minister of Works, David Umahi, has called on Nigerians at home and abroad to stop de-marketing the country, urging them to promote national unity, optimism, and patriotism.

Umahi, who stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Sunday, decried what he described as a growing culture of negativity and public condemnation of Nigeria.

“I feel so sad when people demarket the country both outside and inside Nigeria, cursing without knowledge.

“This is because a job is very easy when you are not the one doing it. Let there be a rethink.

“We are all journeying through this life, and there is a need to have lasting treasures beyond this life by putting Nigeria first, by being your brother’s keeper, by doing things with the fear of God.

“I wonder that when our people go outside the country, they suffer more; they pass through all kinds of humiliations and oppressions; they work sometimes for 19 hours, and they obey all the rules.

“But when they come here, they break all the rules. That is not good; let us have hope here. This is the only country you can make 100 per cent doing a job, whereas you can’t make more than 10 per cent outside the country,” he said.

According to him, there are lots of opportunities in Nigeria, stressing, however, that people would not see the light if they decided to close their eyes.

He urged Nigerians to be optimistic, forward-looking and have love for themselves because approaching issues with bitterness and being unappreciative would not do anybody any good.

“There is a saying that ‘forgiveness sets the captive free’, and when you are forgiven, you will find out that you were the captive.

“So let us work with the fear of God and support our government, and of course, engage in constructive criticism. Nigeria is great again.”

Umahi praised President Bola Tinubu’s resilience and commitment in the face of what he described as a terrible economic situation inherited from the previous administration.

He said that the president’s refusal to complain publicly was a mark of leadership courage.

Umahi said as a governor, he knew what the Tinubu administration inherited, explaining that everything became a priority for him, and the burden of debt became so terrible.

“In fact, when I saw the capital projects, I never knew that the debt servicing is drawn from the capital projects, and that is where the problem is.

“So there have been a lot of debts that are kept, and these debts were not used for infrastructure development; otherwise, it would have been a catalyst for development. So it is very important to know that what we inherited was so terrible.

“Everything became a priority, but we shall overcome this. Even our fuel was sold in advance, but it is a matter of courage, and that is why the president is not complaining, but we shall overcome it,” the minister said.

According to him, all the indices show that the reforms are ‘breathing very well,’ noting that inflation has dropped and that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth is over 4.23 per cent, while the foreign reserve has climbed over 42 per cent.

“So all the indices are breathing well, and the worst is over, by the words of the president, and the darkest part of the morning is the dawn. The macroeconomy is doing very well.

“Also, the commitment and infrastructure development are going to cure the seeming hunger because it is going to trickle down to macroeconomy, and that will be a win-win for this nation.

“For me, the president has taken back the nation for us. So forget about the noisemakers. They will always be people making noise, and I will suggest that our generation should also try to work even harder than our forefathers.

“Hard work pays; it is very, very important. Even the Bible professes that he that doesn’t work should not eat,” the minister stated.

(NAN)