Ace human rights lawyer, Femi
Falana, has stated President Muhammadu Buhari and the Economic Community of
West African States (ECOWAS) leaders must obey court orders in the interest of
political stability.
Tayo Soyemi, a member of staff of
the Falana and Falana Chambers, quoted the lawyer as saying this while speaking
at the on going “ECOWAS Consultative Meeting on Access to Justice and Respect
for the Rule of Law” in Accra, Ghana.
He said the president should also
comply with a court order compelling the federal government to release the
details of stolen assets recovered so far.
“Buhari and ECOWAS leaders should
comply with judgments and orders of municipal courts and regional tribunals in
the interest of public accountability and political stability,” Falana said.
“Having now embraced the rule of
law, President Buhari ought to direct the State Security Service to release
Sheik Ibraheem El-Zakzaky and his wife from custody in line with the orders of
Federal High Court of December 2, 2016. In the same vein, the orders of the
Nigerian courts and the ECOWAS Court for the release of Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd)
on bail pending trial should be complied with without any further delay.
“Other high-profile judgments
that President Buhari must obey without further delay include at least four
judgments obtained by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).
The first is the judgment by Justice Hadiza Rabiu Shagari ordering the
government to tell Nigerians about the stolen asset it allegedly recovered,
with details of the amounts recovered.
“The second judgment, by Justice
Mohammed Idris, ordered the government to publish details on the spending of
stolen funds recovered by successive governments since the return of democracy
in 1999, while the third judgment, also by Justice Idris, ordered President
Buhari to act on reports of investigations into allegations of padding and
stealing of some N481 billion from the 2016 budget by some principal officers
of the National Assembly, and to ensure prosecution of indicted lawmakers.
“The fourth judgement by the
ECOWAS Court of Justice in Abuja also obtained by SERAP ordered the Nigerian
authorities to provide free and quality education to all Nigerian children
without discrimination.
“Nigeria has a duty to show
leadership by example in the region since President Mhammadu Buhari is the
current Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Governments of the
ECOWAS. Such leadership has just been demonstrated by the Nigerian leader who
has been reported to have distanced himself from the decision of the ruling
party in Nigeria, the All Progressive Congress (APC) to expel its aggrieved
members who sued the party in court over their grievances against the outcome
of the recently concluded primaries of the party.
“President Buhari should equally
show leadership in the region by ensuring that all judgments of the ECOWAS
Court against Nigeria are fully and unconditionally obeyed. The hostile
disposition of African states to courts is essentially the same.”
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