A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mohammed Ndarani, says granting state pardons to convicted public officeholders would undermine Nigeria’s anti-corruption fight.

Mr Ndarami, in an interview with journalists on Sunday in Abuja, said granting officeholders state pardons undermines the EFCC, ICPC, courts, and the police.

“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,” said Mr Ndarami.

The legal practitioner aligned himself with the views of Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), advising that constitutional provisions for state pardon should exclude convicted political office holders.

Mr Ndarami said state pardon to corrupt politicians leaves one impression: the person granting the pardon and the person getting it are birds of the same feather.

“The pardoner is preparing the ground for himself to be taken lightly for what funds he will also loot. It shows queerly that all thieving politicians are above the law.

“Once this perception sinks into the mind of the public, their trust and confidence in the government and governance or their policies will slacken and plummet,” said Mr Ndarami.

The legal practitioner decried that Nigerian politicians were perceived as “liars, thieves and deceivers.”

“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. It gives the unshakeable impression that the government does not give care about the welfare of the masses,” he said.

The senior lawyer equally noted that state pardon has caused systematic and symbolic destruction of Nigeria’s image in the comity of nations.

“In 2020, former British Prime Minister David Cameron called Nigeria, ‘fantastically corrupt’ because of our actions and inactions.

“Much of this can be traced to the now odious grant of state pardon. This is responsible for the abrasive and shockingly inhumane treatment meted out to Nigerian nationals at airports the world over,” Mr Ndarami.

He noted that granting state pardon to corrupt politicians, stopping, withdrawing their trials or pardoning their convictions and restoring the looted or corruptly acquired funds and properties negatively impacts democracy.

Mr Ndarami noted that withdrawing this pardon would gradually restore the people’s trust and confidence in political officeholders, and improve the rule of law and democratic ideals.

(NAN)