TINUBU GRANTS 175 INMATES PREROGATIVE OF MERCY
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The National Council of States on Thursday endorsed President Bola Tinubu’s appeal for the provision of clemency to 175 inmates nationwide.
This initiative is designed to alleviate overcrowding in correctional institutions and to advance restorative justice.
The Governor of Kaduna State, Senator Uba Sani, revealed this during a briefing with State House journalists following the conclusion of the Council meeting. He elaborated that the initiative demonstrates the administration’s dedication to balancing justice with compassion, while ensuring that deserving inmates receive an opportunity for reintegration into society.
Senator Sani explained that the Council considered a report from the Advisory Committee on Prerogative of Mercy, presented by the Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF and Minister of Justice, which recommended various clemency measures.
According to him, out of the 175 beneficiaries, 82 inmates were granted presidential pardon, 65 had their sentences reduced, while seven death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment.
He, however, declined to provide the names of the beneficiaries.
The presidential prerogative of mercy, enshrined in Section 175 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), empowers the President to grant pardons, reprieves, or commute sentences.
It is generally implemented following thorough evaluation of the suggestions put forth by the Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, which examines factors including age, poor health, exemplary conduct, or instances of wrongful conviction.
Governor Sani further stated that the Council took key decisions on national appointments, approving Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Dr. Aminu Yusuf as Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), following recommendations by President Tinubu.
The Council further ratified the appointment of Alhaji Tonge Beta Bularafa as Federal Commissioner representing Yobe State at the NPC.
Briefing journalists, Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State, who also chairs the Progressive Governors’ Forum, described the nomination of the new INEC Chairman, Amupitan, as a constitutional responsibility diligently discharged by the President.
He said the appointment received unanimous endorsement, with speakers hailing the nominee as “a serious-minded scholar, a man of integrity, tested and trusted, who has never participated in partisan politics.”
The National Council of State gathering was attended virtually by former Military President Ibrahim Babangida and former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar.
Present at the meeting were former Chief Justices of Nigeria, CJNs, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator George Akume, state governors, and other statutory members of the Council.
The endorsement by the Council of State on Thursday, which includes former Heads of State, state governors, and other statutory members, is anticipated to facilitate the formal release or re-sentencing of the affected inmates in the upcoming weeks.
The National Council of State also sanctioned President Tinubu’s request for the granting of national honour awards to 959 distinguished individuals.
The Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Affairs Office, Dr. Emanso Umobong, revealed that from the total, 824 successful applications were recommended along with an additional 125 special awards.
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