“Mass Pardon For Drug Traffickers, Murderers A National Disgrace” – ADC
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has condemned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decision to grant presidential pardons to several convicted murderers, drug traffickers, and smugglers, describing it as “pathetic and a national disgrace.”
The party’s reaction follows the release of a list of 175 beneficiaries of the president’s pardon and clemency, announced on Saturday by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
In a statement issued on Sunday and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said the move undermines Nigeria’s anti-drug campaign, emboldens criminal activity, and damages the nation’s international reputation.
“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—many of whom have barely served two years in jail for crimes carrying life sentences,” the statement read.
The party further questioned the justification for extending clemency to serious offenders, warning that the decision “strikes at the very foundation of Nigeria’s legal and moral stance against narcotics” and diminishes the sacrifices of law enforcement agencies battling drug trafficking.
Citing Nigeria’s estimated drug use rate of 14.4 percent—almost three times the global average—the ADC said the pardons send the wrong message both locally and internationally.
“These pardons also undercut our standing among global partners in the fight against drug trafficking and give the unfortunate impression that Nigeria, under President Tinubu, is sympathetic toward drug dealers,” it added.
The ADC accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of eroding moral values and promoting impunity, saying it remains committed to rescuing Nigeria from a government that “places power above accountability.”