Lawyer Explains Why Sunday Jackson Was Excluded From Tinubu’s Pardon List
By MELVIN KOFFA
INTERNATIONAL human rights lawyer Emmanuel Ogebe has explained that Sunday Jackson, an Adamawa farmer on death row for killing a herdsman in self-defense, was excluded from President Bola Tinubu’s recent pardon list because his conviction falls under state law, not federal jurisdiction.
Ogebe said the Constitution only empowers the President to pardon federal offenders, while state convicts can only be pardoned by governors. He urged Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State to grant Jackson clemency, noting broad public and legal support for his release.
Ogebe also criticised Tinubu’s mass pardon of over 100 convicts—including those convicted of murder, corruption, and drug trafficking—as a moral and legal misstep.
He further argued that the Ken Saro-Wiwa family deserves compensation for his unlawful execution, which violated due process and established legal precedent.
