- Tinubu grants mercy to 175 inmates nationwide, says Council.
- INEC, NPC leadership changes ratified by the Council of State.
- Uzodinma hails appointments, calls Amupitan a man of integrity.
The National Council of State on Thursday approved President Bola Tinubu’s request to exercise his prerogative of mercy for 175 inmates across various correctional facilities in Nigeria.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the decision, according to reports, aims to decongest prisons nationwide and promote restorative justice.
Briefing State House correspondents after the meeting, Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, said the Council deliberated on recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Prerogative of Mercy, presented by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.
He disclosed that 82 inmates received presidential pardons, 65 had their sentences reduced, while seven death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment. However, Sani declined to reveal the names of the beneficiaries.
The presidential prerogative of mercy is provided for under Section 175 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), empowering the President to pardon, reprieve, or commute sentences upon the committee’s advice. Such considerations often include age, ill health, good behaviour, or miscarriage of justice.
New Appointments Ratified
The Council also ratified major national appointments. Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) was confirmed as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), while Dr. Aminu Yusuf was appointed as Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC).
Additionally, Alhaji Tonge Beta Bularafa was confirmed as the Federal Commissioner representing Yobe State at the NPC.
Speaking with journalists, Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Hope Uzodinma, praised the nomination of Amupitan, describing it as a constitutional responsibility “diligently discharged by the President.”
Uzodinma said, “The new INEC Chairman is a serious-minded scholar, a man of integrity, tested and trusted, who has never participated in partisan politics.”
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