Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised President Bola Tinubu over the cancellation of the controversial presidential pardon earlier granted to convicted drug traffickers, kidnappers, and other criminals.

Atiku described the reversal as another example of a government that “thinks after it acts,” accusing President Tinubu of lacking foresight and moral direction.

In a statement issued by his media aide, Phrank Shaibu, the former vice president said the decision to rescind the pardon was “not an act of wisdom but an act of shame.”

“President Bola Tinubu has ‘cancelled’ his own pardon for drug traffickers, kidnappers, and other hardened criminals but only after Nigerians shouted loud enough to wake him from his moral slumber,” the statement read.

Atiku argued that the episode exposed the administration’s flawed decision-making process.

“If the public had kept quiet, would convicted drug lords and kidnappers be walking free today under the President’s blessing?” he asked.

He demanded clarity on who compiled the list of beneficiaries, the criteria used, and why the Attorney-General of the Federation endorsed what he described as “a national embarrassment.”

The PDP chieftain accused the Tinubu administration of a recurring pattern of controversial decisions that are later reversed following public backlash.

“This pattern has become too familiar, announce the unthinkable, watch the country erupt, then hurriedly reverse course as if governance is a game of trial and error,” Atiku stated.

He also called on the presidency to publish the names and offences of those initially selected for the pardon, insisting that Nigerians deserve full transparency on the matter.