LAGOS, NIGERIA – The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has forcefully defended President Bola Tinubu’s move to review a controversial presidential pardon list, dismissing sharp criticism from former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
The ruling party, in a statement on Thursday, framed the president’s decision as a sign of “institutional strength and commitment to due process,” rather than a response to “emotional or populist pandering.”
The rebuttal came after Atiku Abubakar described the administration’s reversal of the pardons as “an act of shame, not wisdom.”
Atiku Questions Administration’s “Moral Consistency”
The controversy escalated when Atiku, through his media aide Phrank Shaibu, accused the Tinubu-led government of “lacking foresight and moral consistency.”
The former Vice President specifically pointed to the revocation of the pardon for Maryam Sanda, among others, as evidence of the administration’s flawed process. Atiku’s camp also demanded transparency, questioning the criteria that led to the convicts’ initial inclusion on the pardon list.
APC Hits Back at “Ignorance and Bitterness”
Responding directly to the criticism, Lagos APC Publicity Secretary Seye Oladejo launched a blistering counter-attack, labeling Atiku’s comments as “a cocktail of ignorance, frustration, and political bitterness from a camp desperate for attention.”
Oladejo admonished Atiku’s supporters to “stop weaponising ignorance.”
He maintained that President Tinubu’s leadership is guided by legal principles and the national interest, not by knee-jerk reactions.
“Unlike the impulsive and uninformed commentary that has become the trademark of the opposition, President Tinubu’s decisions are driven by due process, rule of law, and national interest,” Oladejo stated.
“Mark of Credible Leadership, Not Weakness”
The Lagos APC spokesman argued that reviewing a decision is a sign of mature governance, not a failing.
“In advanced democracies, informed review and reconsideration are marks of credible leadership and institutional maturity, not weakness,” he explained. “Only in the shallow corners of the opposition’s imagination does consultation and constitutional refinement translate to a U-turn.”
Oladejo added that Nigerians were “weary of this infantile, bitterness-driven politics where sound governance decisions are attacked for the sake of noise-making.”
He concluded by dismissing the criticism as “media convulsions from a defeated politician’s corner,” asserting that the president remains focused on governance.
“President Tinubu will continue to lead with constitutional discipline, courage, and clarity of purpose — not the bitterness and confusion that have become hallmarks of those rejected repeatedly at the polls. Nigeria is moving forward,” Oladejo affirmed.
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