Stop Blaming Tinubu: The Clemency List Was a Collective Decision
It’s time to put the brakes on the knee-jerk criticism directed solely at President Bola Tinubu over the recent Presidential Clemency list, which included controversial names like Maryam Sanda and Farouk Lawan.
The outrage is understandable, but the blame is misplaced when focused only on the final signature.
The reality is that this list—every single name on it—was not the product of one man’s whim. It was a collective decision that passed through multiple layers of rigorous legal and institutional review before ever reaching the President.
Crucially, the final recommendations were all endorsed by the Council of State.
The Council of State is a body that represents Nigeria’s enduring political establishment. It includes all former Presidents and Chief Justices of Nigeria.
This means that leaders like Olusegun Obasanjo, Goodluck Jonathan, General Yakubu Gowon, and General Ibrahim Babangida were all part of the process that reviewed and consented to these names.
Yes, the President holds the final Prerogative of Mercy, but the list he signed had already received the institutional blessing of his predecessors and the country’s top legal minds.
To single out Tinubu is to ignore the legal and constitutional process designed for precisely this purpose. If we want accountability, we must acknowledge that this was an institutional decision, with the responsibility resting on the entire Council of State, not just the man who wielded the final pen.
