KEY POINTS
- Lagos APC praises Tinubu’s compassionate presidential pardon.
- Party says the act reflects restorative justice and mercy.
- Tinubu’s gesture honours Herbert Macaulay and 174 others.
President Bola Tinubu’s posthumous pardon of nationalist Herbert Macaulay has drawn praise from the Lagos chapter of the All Progressives Congress, which called the move “a courageous and compassionate decision.”
Tinubu on Thursday granted state pardons to Macaulay and 174 others, including former Federal Capital Territory Minister Maj. Gen. Mamman Vatsa and ex-lawmaker Farouq Lawan. The clemency approvals, endorsed by the National Council of State, were announced after its meeting at the State House in Abuja.
APC hails Tinubu’s act of restorative justice
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, Tinubu’s decision followed recommendations by the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, chaired by Attorney-General Lateef Fagbemi.
The president also approved clemency for 82 inmates, commuted seven death sentences to life imprisonment, and reduced the prison terms of 65 others.
APC spokesman Seye Oladejo said in a statement Friday that Tinubu’s action reflected “humanity, fairness, and statesmanship.” He described the gesture as an example of Tinubu’s commitment to restorative justice, saying it reaffirms the president’s belief in forgiveness as a tool for national unity.
Tinubu’s presidential pardon seen as act of national healing
“By honouring Herbert Macaulay one of Nigeria’s founding nationalists, the President has corrected a historical injustice, for living beneficiaries, this act opens a new chapter of hope and reintegration.”” Oladejo also said.
Furthermore, he added that Tinubu’s decision underscored that justice in a democracy must balance accountability with mercy. Oladejo praised the president for leading “with heart, courage, and vision,” calling the pardon proof that the Renewed Hope Agenda extends beyond economic and infrastructure reforms to include moral and national renewal.
“This pardon restores faith in our justice system and reminds us that a nation’s greatness lies not only in how it punishes but in how it forgives,” he said.
