The Judiciary: Casualty of Tinubu’s Politics of Presidential Pardon

“When the sacred instrument of mercy becomes a weapon of political favoritism, justice dies silently and the nation loses its moral compass.”

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent wave of presidential pardons has provoked outrage across the country and rightly so. By freeing convicted drug traffickers, fraudsters, illegal miners, kidnappers, and even the notorious husband-killer, Maryam Sanda, the President has turned the constitutional power of mercy into a political bazaar. What should be an act of compassion has instead become a tool of political favoritism that undermines the moral foundation of justice. The result is a judiciary stripped of dignity and a nation sinking deeper into moral decay.

Judges who labored under intense pressure to deliver justice now watch helplessly as their verdicts are nullified by executive fiat. Years of painstaking prosecution and judicial courage have been rubbished in the name of mercy. The judiciary once seen as the last hope of the common man, has become the biggest casualty of this political recklessness. If the Executive can whimsically overturn judicial decisions, then the courts are no longer temples of justice but chambers of irrelevance.

The inclusion of hardened criminals in the pardon list is a slap on the face of morality and the victims of crime. It tells the world that in Nigeria, crime pays — provided one has political or social connections. The decision spits on the graves of victims and shatters the faith of families who once believed the state stood for justice. This is not mercy; it is betrayal disguised as compassion. Meanwhile, individuals like Nnamdi Kanu and DCP Abba Kyari remain incarcerated, revealing a selective justice system that is harsh to the weak and indulgent to the powerful.

Instead of restoring confidence in the justice system, Tinubu’s pardon further erodes it. It sends a dangerous signal that corruption and criminality can always find sanctuary in the corridors of power. This is not the Renewed Hope Nigerians were promised, it is renewed hopelessness. When convicted kidnappers, drug dealers, and violent offenders are released without remorse, the state inadvertently encourages lawlessness and weakens deterrence. The government now appears to shield criminals more than its citizens.

President Tinubu’s pardon policy is a moral, legal, and political disaster. It desecrates the sanctity of justice, humiliates the judiciary, and betrays the conscience of the nation. The pardon of criminals like Maryam Sanda is not an act of mercy, it is a declaration that justice in Nigeria has become a privilege reserved for the powerful.

Solomon Selcap Dalung, is a human rights advocate and legal scholar committed to justice, good governance, and national renewal.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *