Bayo Onanuga: Tinubu’s revision of pardon list shows strength, not weakness

Bayo Onanuga, spokesperson to President Bola Tinubu, has defended his principal’s decision to revise the presidential pardon list, describing the move as a demonstration of strength rather than weakness.

On Wednesday, Tinubu ordered the removal of persons convicted for kidnapping, drug trafficking, human trafficking, fraud, and unlawful possession of firearms from the list of beneficiaries under the federal government’s prerogative of mercy.

On October 11, Tinubu had granted presidential pardon and other forms of clemency to 175 persons, following the approval of the council of state.

One such person was Maryam Sanda, the woman who was sentenced to death by hanging for stabbing Bilyamin Mohammed Bello, her husband, to death.

However, following public criticisms, the president revoked Sanda’s pardon and reduced her sentence to 12 years’ imprisonment.

Speaking on Prime Time, an Arise Television programme, on Thursday, Onanuga said Nigerians should recognise that the president is human and capable of making mistakes.

He emphasised that Tinubu is attentive to public opinion and willing to correct errors.

“What Nigerians ought to have seen now is that this president is not one that is afraid to reverse himself if he feels like he’s made some error,” Onanuga said.

“He’s a human being. He can make mistakes. He listens to the public. This is a president who wakes up in the morning to read all Nigerian newspapers and to watch the TV and knows what’s going on.”

Onanuga said the president’s willingness to reassess decisions reflects strength.

“It’s a matter of strength for you to do something, appraise it and make some adjustments,” he said.

Addressing criticisms related to the pardon of Maryam Sanda, Onanuga noted that most objections centred on her case, adding that the revised pardon list still includes some drug offenders who were granted clemency.

“Most of the criticisms were coming from the case of Maryam Sanda, whom the court found guilty and sentenced to death for killing her husband,” he said.

“As to whether the president freed drug convicts, even the second list contains some drug offenders who were also given clemency.”