By DARLINGTON CHILUBAOne of the most prominent presidential pardons in political history was by President Gerald Ford in favour of his immediate predecessor Richard Nixon from facing criminal charges in 1974. This set an impressive standard in the United States of America (USA) and abroad on the exercise of presidential authority from a human, judicial and institutional vantage point.Moreso because of the overwhelming evidence which would have almost certainly sent Mr. Nixon to prison. Arguably, the record of having a former US President behind bars would have had more lasting damage on the institution of state and its reputation. It was better to fix the problem institutionally than expose potential weaknesses of their state system. It is only recently in the USA that debate in the Senate and House of Representatives suggested a possibility of removing former President Donald Trump’s presidential immunity after his tenure of office to face charges related to his re-election bid. In […]
THE PRESIDENCY AND PUBLIC INTEREST
