Senior Advocate Of Nigeria Condemns State Pardon For Convicted Politicians, Calls It A Threat To Anti-Corruption Efforts
Mohammed Ndarani, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), has criticized the granting of state pardons to convicted public office holders, arguing that it undermines Nigeria’s fight against corruption. In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja, Ndarani aligned with the views of Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, recommending that political office holders convicted of corruption should be excluded from receiving state pardons.
He echoed the AGF’s recent statement that public officials guilty of corruption should not be granted such pardons. Ndarani emphasized, “Granting pardon to politicians arraigned and convicted for corruption, fraud, and looting of public treasury undermines our public institutions like the courts, EFCC, ICPC, Police, etc. It is wrong.”
Ndarani warned that pardoning these individuals damages the integrity of institutions and negates the punitive intent of the law, allowing politicians to retain the benefits of their crimes. He noted, “This puts the integrity of our institutions in jeopardy… It damages the integrity and reputation of our courts, the nation’s anti-corruption stance, and undermines democratic institutions and the rule of law.”
He further criticized the practice, saying it gives the impression that both the grantor and recipient of the pardon are complicit, adding that it erodes public trust in governance: “The people can hardly understand why someone given power by the people would loot and steal the state coffers dry and be simply allowed to get off the hook.”
Ndarani also highlighted how this has tarnished Nigeria’s global image, referencing former British Prime Minister David Cameron’s 2020 remark that described Nigeria as “fantastically corrupt.” He said, “Much of this can be traced to the now odious grant of state pardon.”
The SAN stressed that the elimination of state pardons for corrupt politicians would restore public trust and reduce corruption, stating, “If such trials are taken to their logical conclusions, and the convicts made to serve their sentences and forfeit the proceeds of their crimes, this trend would be drastically reduced.”
He concluded by urging that now is the time to act to prevent Nigeria from being ruled by individuals solely focused on looting the country’s treasury. “The only goal of these individuals would be to ascend to the office and take over power to appropriate and loot the treasury… The time to act is now.”
