This article assesses the uses and abuses of official apologies in transitional justice processes. It presents contextual definition of apologies and the application of official apology in addressing various social, corporate, and political violations. It examines the application of the image repair theory in dealing with historical human rights violations and scrutinizes how those in positions of political power have used and or abused official apologies as a conspiracy of evading responsibility and entrenching impunity in the face of elaborate and successful transitional justice frameworks. The article underscores the argument that contrary to some popular assertions, political apologies represent cleansing ritual and not responsibility for harms perpetrated on victims. The article therefore contends that to sustainably demonstrate a genuine act of contrition, official apology must guarantee non repetition of the harm perpetrated on victims by demonstrating visible change of behavior from those in positions of authority.