Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has criticised the Federal Government over the controversial presidential pardon list recently released. Speaking on Arise Television, Falana described the pardon process as embarrassing, saying it exposed Nigeria to shame and global ridicule. He argued that some individuals included were not deserving of forgiveness, especially those recently convicted of serious crimes.

Falana explained that the procedure used in compiling the list went against the Constitution. According to him, the country made a major mistake by attempting to pardon people who should not have been considered at all. He mentioned one case of a person prosecuted by the EFCC for 11 years and convicted in April 2025, yet still appearing on the pardon list shortly after sentencing.

The legal expert stressed that the Constitution clearly outlines who has the power to grant pardons. Falana highlighted Section 212 of the Constitution, which gives state governors—not the president—the authority to pardon individuals convicted under state laws. Despite this, names of people convicted for offences like fraud, murder, and obtaining money by false pretence appeared on the presidential pardon list.

He dismissed the government’s attempt to defend itself by saying the list was reduced from about 175 names to 35. Falana insisted that the real issue was not the number of people pardoned but the flawed and unconstitutional selection process. He said Nigerians deserved transparency and proper legal procedure in matters of national importance.

Falana therefore demanded that the Attorney-General of the Federation apologise publicly to Nigerians. According to him, the embarrassment caused could have been avoided if the law had been followed. He urged the government to learn from the incident and ensure such mistakes never happen again.