Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has criticised President Bola Tinubu over the recent reversal of presidential pardons earlier granted to convicted drug traffickers, kidnappers, and other serious offenders.
On Wednesday, Tinubu directed that all persons convicted of kidnapping, drug trafficking, human trafficking, fraud, and illegal possession of firearms be removed from the list of beneficiaries of the Federal Government’s prerogative of mercy.
However, in a statement issued by his media aide, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described the move as “too little, too late,” accusing the president of acting only after widespread public outrage.
“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 statement read.
Atiku said the controversy surrounding the pardon exposed deeper issues of governance and accountability within the Tinubu administration.
“If the public had kept quiet, would convicted drug lords and kidnappers be walking free today under the President’s blessing?” he asked.
The former vice-president also questioned how such names were included in the pardon list in the first place and demanded an explanation from the Attorney-General of the Federation.
He further accused the administration of a pattern of hasty decisions followed by public backlash and reversals, calling the episode “a national embarrassment.
