As criticisms continue to trail the recent exercise of the prerogative of mercy and clemency by President Bola Tinubu in which he granted presidential pardon to 175 people convicted of varying degrees of offences, veteran journalist and legal expert, Richard Akinnola II, has shifted the blame from the president to the advisory committee responsible for vetting the cases.
In a strongly worded opinion piece titled “Release of Drug Convicts and Murderers – Blame the Committee, Not the President,” posted on his Facebook page, Akinnola argued that the embarrassing inclusions—such as individuals convicted of serious offenses like drug trafficking and murder, some released after serving only a few years—stem from “shoddy” work by the Presidential Prerogative of Mercy Committee.
“The blame should go to the Committee and not the president, though he assented to the recommendations,” Akinnola II wrote, emphasizing that leaders typically rely on the panel’s expertise without delving into every detail.
Drawing from personal experience, Akinnola II recounted his tenure between January 2006 and April 2007 as a member of the Lagos State Advisory Council on the Prerogative of Mercy, chaired by Funke Aboyade. The council, he recalled, meticulously reviewed applications, visited prisons, and interviewed inmates before forwarding recommendations through the Attorney General.
“Our recommendations came after very careful and meticulous considerations,” he noted, highlighting the rigorous process that should be the standard.
Akinnola II stressed that while the buck stops with the president or governor—who remain vicariously liable for any errors—the onus lies on the committee to ensure appropriateness. In this case, he described the pardons as “quite embarrassing,” suggesting the panel failed in its duty, potentially tarnishing Tinubu’s administration.
The pardons, announced amid Nigeria’s ongoing debates on criminal justice reform, have sparked outrage from civil society groups and opposition figures, who question the criteria used. Human rights advocates argue that releasing high-profile convicts undermines deterrence against crime. However, supporters of the move cite humanitarian grounds, such as prison overcrowding and rehabilitation efforts.
Akinnola’s intervention calls for greater transparency in the pardon process, urging future committees to uphold higher standards to avoid such controversies. As public scrutiny intensifies, the presidency has yet to respond directly to these criticisms.
