Renowned human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has accused ECOWAS leaders, including Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, of undermining democratic norms and the rule of law by failing to enforce judgments of the ECOWAS Court of Justice.
In a scathing address delivered at the 50th anniversary celebration of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) in Lagos on May 31, 2025, Falana revealed that Nigeria leads the region with 44 unenforced court judgments as of December 2024. He called on President Tinubu, as Chair of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, to direct immediate compliance with the court’s decisions to end Nigeria’s “embarrassment” and set a regional example.
Falana challenged President Tinubu’s claim during the anniversary event that ECOWAS upholds democratic norms through institutions like the ECOWAS Court of Justice. “With respect, the ECOWAS leaders have failed to uphold democratic norms and rule of law,” Falana declared, citing the region’s recurring unconstitutional changes of government and widespread disregard for the court’s rulings. He listed Nigeria as the worst offender with 44 unenforced judgments, followed by Togo (27), Guinea (15), Mali (10), and Sierra Leone (9), among others, totaling 154 across 15 member states (Falana’s Address, May 31, 2025).
He argued that this defiance undermines accountability and people-centered governance, contradicting ECOWAS’s stated commitment to the rule of law. Falana reminded leaders that former heads of state, including Charles Taylor (Liberia), Laurent Gbagbo (Cote d’Ivoire), and Blaise Compaoré (Burkina Faso), sought the court’s protection for their human rights after leaving office, despite their own non-compliance while in power. “Some of their predecessors who did not comply with the decisions of the Court have approached the same Court for protection,” he noted, highlighting the irony.
Falana described Nigeria’s position atop the list of non-compliant states as “the height of embarrassment,” particularly given President Tinubu’s role as ECOWAS Chair. Under Article 24 of the ECOWAS Court Protocol, Nigeria designated the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice as the national authority responsible for executing court judgments in 2014. Falana urged Tinubu to direct the current Attorney-General, Lateef Fagbemi SAN, to ensure compliance without delay. “It is time that Nigeria demonstrated leadership by example,” he stated.
The ECOWAS Court, established to adjudicate disputes involving human rights and community law, has issued binding judgments on issues ranging from unlawful detentions to electoral violations. Nigeria’s 44 unenforced rulings include cases involving fundamental rights abuses, which Falana argued erode public trust in both national and regional institutions.
The post Falana SAN Slams ECOWAS Leaders For Defying Court Judgments, Urges Tinubu To Lead Nigeria’s Compliance appeared first on TheNigeriaLawyer.
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