PORT HARCOURT/Nigeria: A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former National Publicity Secretary of the defunct nPDP, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has condemned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent presidential pardon of convicted drug traffickers and other offenders, describing it as “reckless, shameful, and morally indefensible.”
In a strongly worded statement issued on Friday, Eze called for the immediate scrapping of federal agencies such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), alleging that they have “lost their relevance” due to political interference and executive overreach.
Eze said President Tinubu’s pardon of 175 convicts, including 50 drug traffickers, illegal miners, and murderers, has eroded public confidence in the justice system and rendered statutory institutions ineffective. He cited the confirmation by Mr. Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Strategy, who disclosed that among the beneficiaries were 41 illegal miners, 28 drug traffickers, and 22 convicted murderers.
“By pardoning these individuals, Mr. President has invalidated years of painstaking investigations and prosecutions funded by taxpayers’ money,” Eze said. “The NDLEA, EFCC, and ICPC have now become worthless. The efforts of our law enforcement agencies and the sacrifices of judges who convicted these criminals have been reduced to nothing, simply because the President wanted to exercise a misguided prerogative.”
The outspoken APC chieftain said Tinubu’s action has endangered the lives of police officers, prosecutors, and judges who handled the cases, warning that some of the released convicts could return to crime.
Quoting the Obi of Onitsha, His Majesty Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, Eze said: “If the President can pardon drug convicts, then there’s no need for the NDLEA. No need arresting thieves or punishing anyone again.” He noted that the revered monarch warned that such pardons send the wrong message to the youth and embolden criminals who now believe that “crime pays as long as you know the right people.”
Eze also aligned himself with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who described the presidential pardon as “reckless, undermining justice, and morally indefensible.”
“Atiku rightly observed that clemency is a solemn instrument to temper justice with mercy, not to glorify criminality,” Eze stated. “Granting pardon to individuals convicted of serious crimes such as drug trafficking, kidnapping, murder, and corruption diminishes the sanctity of justice and portrays this administration as tolerant of criminality.”
He said it was “deeply ironic” that Tinubu, “whose past remains tainted by unresolved issues relating to drug forfeitures in the United States,” would extend mercy to drug offenders, describing the act as “a class reunion of the cartel alumni association,” echoing the remarks of former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai.
Eze also referenced legal practitioner Joel Ighalo, who criticized the pardon as “a bastardization of the prerogative of mercy,” warning that prosecutors whose cases have been overturned by executive fiat may face threats from freed convicts.
According to Eze, rather than pardon the late environmental activists known as the Ogoni Nine, the federal government should have granted them full exoneration to properly honor their legacy.
The APC stalwart urged President Tinubu to apologize to Nigerians and immediately withdraw and review the list of pardonees, citing senior advocate Femi Falana’s advice that the Federal Government must act “in the interest of justice and national morality.”
“The Federal Government should withdraw and review the list of pardonees without delay,” Falana was quoted as saying. “The Prerogative of Mercy Committee must act within constitutional limits and not extend to persons convicted of state offences.”
Eze concluded by declaring that Tinubu’s action has brought “shame and reproach” to the APC and weakened its moral standing ahead of 2027.
“As long as I remain a member of the APC, I must say categorically that President Tinubu, by his action, has brought shame to the party and rendered it unelectable in any credible election unless Nigerians approve of a regime that legitimizes illegality as a political strategy to sustain its odious reign beyond 2027,” Eze stated.
