President Bola Tinubu has come under heavy criticism from opposition parties and political leaders over his recent decision to grant presidential pardons to dozens of convicted criminals, including drug traffickers. Critics described the move as a serious blow to Nigeria’s fight against drugs and a dangerous misuse of presidential power.
The Presidency on Saturday released a list of 175 individuals who received the 2025 presidential pardon. Among them were late nationalist Herbert Macaulay, late Major General Mamman Vatsa, and Maryam Sanda, who had been sentenced to death for killing her husband.
However, what has sparked outrage is that more than 30 of those pardoned were convicted drug offenders, along with others jailed for crimes such as homicide, fraud, and illegal mining.
In a statement on Sunday, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) condemned the decision, calling it “pathetic and a national disgrace.”
“The African Democratic Congress finds as pathetic and an act of immense national disgrace the recent presidential pardon and clemency granted to several convicted criminals by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” said Bolaji Abdullahi, ADC’s National Publicity Secretary.
He argued that the action undermines the nation’s anti-drug efforts and rewards criminality.
“It amounts to a most irresponsible abuse of the presidential power of mercy to grant express pardon to dozens of convicts held for drug trafficking, smuggling, and related offences—especially when most of these convicts have barely served two years in jail for crimes that attract life imprisonment,” Abdullahi said.
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The ADC also warned that the move sends a dangerous message to the public and to the world.
“Granting clemency to individuals convicted under such laws makes a mockery of the sacrifice of NDLEA officers and gives the impression that Nigeria, under President Tinubu, is sympathetic to drug dealers,” the statement added.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar also criticised the decision, saying it had “rightly sparked nationwide outrage.”
Atiku said the presidential power of mercy should promote justice, not weaken it.
He said, “Regrettably, the latest pardon issued by the Tinubu administration has done the very opposite. Extending clemency to individuals convicted of grave crimes such as drug trafficking, kidnapping, murder, and corruption diminishes the sanctity of justice and sends a dangerous signal to both the public and the international community.”
Describing the pardon as “shocking and indefensible,” Atiku noted that it comes at a time when Nigeria is facing insecurity, moral decline, and rising drug abuse. “Particularly worrisome,” he said, “is the revelation that 29.2 per cent of those pardoned were convicted for drug-related offences, even as our youth are being destroyed by narcotics.”
Atiku also questioned the moral basis of the decision, referring to past allegations linking Tinubu to a U.S. drug-related forfeiture case.
“A presidential pardon should symbolise restitution and moral reform. Instead, what we have witnessed is a mockery of the criminal justice system and an affront to victims,” he stated.
He urged the government to review the clemency process to ensure fairness and transparency, saying, “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 moral authority and emboldens lawlessness.”
As public debate continues, many Nigerians are demanding clearer explanations from the Presidency on the criteria used to grant the controversial pardons.