GPF Urges Adamawa Governor to Grant Clemency to Jackson
From Umar Dankano, Yola
The Gongola Peoples Forum (GPF), a sociocultural organization representing indigenous ethnic nationalities, has appealed to Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri to grant clemency to Sunday Jackson, a convicted farmer facing the death penalty for murder.
Jackson was involved in a fatal altercation with a herdsman who allegedly allowed his livestock to graze on Jackson’s farmland. The confrontation escalated into a physical fight, during which Jackson fatally injured the herdsman with a knife.
He was subsequently arrested, charged, and sentenced to death by hanging by a lower court. The verdict was upheld by the Supreme Court, reaffirming his conviction for culpable homicide.
At a press conference in Yola on Tuesday, GPF leader Engineer Markus Gunduri emphasized that their plea was not an attempt to challenge the court’s ruling but to seek clemency within the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution.
He cited Section 212 of the 1999 Constitution, which grants state governors the power to exercise their prerogative of mercy, including pardoning or reducing sentences imposed by courts.
“The focus of our press briefing today is the conviction and capital sentence imposed on Mr. Sunday Jackson by the Nigerian courts following a fatal altercation between him and a nomadic herdsman, which led to the latter’s death,” Gunduri stated.
He explained that Jackson had acted in self-defense after the herdsman attacked him with a knife. “He managed to wrest the weapon from his attacker and, in defending himself, inflicted fatal injuries on the herdsman. While the courts have delivered their judgment, we are appealing to the governor to consider the human element of this case,” he added.
Gunduri stressed that their advocacy was rooted in constitutional provisions that empower the governor to grant clemency. “The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999, as amended) includes a provision under Section 212, allowing the Chief Executive of a state to exercise his prerogative of mercy. This power enables him to pardon, grant respite, or remit, in whole or in part, any sentence imposed by the courts,” he explained.
He, therefore, called on Governor Fintiri to use his constitutional authority to save Jackson from execution. “We are not here to review the court’s judgment but to appeal for compassion. We urge His Excellency, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, to let Sunday Jackson breathe fresh air and live. The GPF joins the rest of the world in calling for a state pardon for him,” Gunduri pleaded.
