That’s a sharp jab at the heart of political flip-flopping in Nigeria, straight from comedian and activist Mr Macaroni’s X post yesterday. He’s spotlighting what many see as the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s transformation from anti-corruption crusaders to practitioners of the very ills they once railed against—most recently, President Bola Tinubu’s sweeping pardons announced on October 11, 2025.
To break it down: The pardons covered 175 people, including posthumous clemency for icons like Ken Saro-Wiwa and the “Ogoni Nine” (a nod to historical injustices), but also living convicts tied to drug trafficking, murder, and other serious crimes, such as Maryam Sanda (convicted of killing her husband in 2017). Critics, including opposition figures like former VP Atiku Abubakar and the African Democratic Congress (ADC), slammed it as a “national disgrace” that undermines justice and emboldens criminals.
Macaroni’s post quotes a 2013 tweet from Segun Odewale (@DOlusegun), now Tinubu’s Special Assistant on Social Media, who back then demanded street protests over Goodluck Jonathan’s pardon of ex-Delta Governor Diepreye Alamieyesegha—a convicted money launderer. Odewale wrote: “In saner climes, civil society organization should be on the streets protesting the pardon of the criminal alams by now.” Fast-forward to 2025, and the APC machine is defending these new pardons as “bold” and “compassionate” acts of “national healing” and statesmanship. It’s classic “do as I say, not as I do”—a pattern that’s fueled endless memes and outrage on X, where APC loyalists counter that the pardons free up prisons for real reform, while detractors call it elite impunity.
This isn’t isolated; it’s part of a broader narrative since 2015, where the APC’s anti-graft rhetoric has clashed with scandals involving its own ranks. Whether it’s a “marriage of doom,” as Macaroni puts it, or just pragmatic governance, it underscores how power can rewrite yesterday’s sins into tomorrow’s policy. What’s your take—hypocrisy, or necessary mercy?