“A govt that thinks after it acts” – Atiku criticises Tinubu over cancelled pardon

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised President Bola Tinubu over the cancellation of the controversial presidential pardon earlier granted to convicted drug traffickers, kidnappers, and other criminals.

Atiku said the reversal was another example of a government that “thinks after it acts,” accusing Tinubu of lacking foresight and moral direction.

In a statement issued by his media aide, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described the U-turn as “not an act of wisdom but an act of shame.”

“President Bola 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,” the statement read.

Atiku said the episode exposed how poorly decisions are made under Tinubu’s administration.

“If the public had kept quiet, would convicted drug lords and kidnappers be walking free today under the President’s blessing?” he asked.

He demanded answers on who compiled the list of beneficiaries, what criteria were used to free such offenders, and why the Attorney-General endorsed what he called “a national embarrassment.”

Atiku said the government’s conduct had become predictable — making controversial decisions and reversing them only after public outrage.

“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 said.

Atiku urged the presidency to publish the names and crimes of those who were set to benefit from the pardon, saying Nigerians deserve full transparency.