The Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Mr. Phrank Shaibu, has criticised President Bola Tinubu for what he described as a “reactionary” and “embarrassing” reversal of the presidential pardon earlier granted to convicted drug traffickers, kidnappers, and other serious offenders.
In a statement on Wednesday, Shaibu accused the administration of lacking foresight and moral conviction, saying the decision to revoke the clemency came only after widespread public outrage.
“Once again, Nigerians have witnessed a government that doesn’t lead but reacts. President 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,” he said.
He described the President’s decision as “an act of shame, not wisdom,” questioning the process that produced the controversial list of pardoned individuals.
Shaibu demanded answers on who compiled the list, the criteria used to justify the release of convicted offenders, and the role of the Attorney-General of the Federation in the process.
“This pattern has become too familiar, announce the unthinkable, watch the country erupt, then hurriedly reverse course as if governance is a game of trial and error,” he stated.
He further noted that a presidential pardon “is not a social experiment” but a constitutional duty that should reflect justice, mercy, and national interest.
Shaibu also challenged the government to make public the names and offences of those initially selected for pardon, insisting that transparency was the only way to rebuild public trust.
“If the President truly means well, let him publish the list of all those who were meant to benefit from this scandal. Until then, this cancellation is nothing but damage control and too little, too late,” he added.
The Atiku aide concluded that the episode exposed what he described as the administration’s “governance without foresight, without empathy, and without shame.”
