Emmanuel OchayiThe ECOWAS Court of Justice has fixed December 7 to deliberate on interim measures in the ongoing case between the State of Niger and the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS.
This comes amid appeals by ECOWAS parliamentarians to lift sanctions imposed on Niger, highlighting the adverse effects on the populace and urging diplomatic resolution.
During a session in Abuja on Monday, November 21, legal representatives from both parties presented their arguments. Moukaila Yaye and five other lawyers, representing the applicants, emphasized the detrimental impact of the sanctions on Niger’s people, citing shortages in food, medicine, and electricity due to border closures and Nigeria’s electricity supply cutoff.
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The applicants contended that Niger was unfairly treated compared to other member states that also experienced coups in recent years. They urged the court to intervene and compel the suspension of sanctions while affirming the court’s competence to review the case.
In response, the respondents raised objections to the application’s admissibility, citing the junta’s lack of legal capacity to bring the case forward and highlighting a pending case filed by the democratically elected president challenging the junta’s legitimacy.
The panel of judges, led by Hon. Judge Edward Amoako Asante, President of the Court, is set to deliberate on these issues, marking a turning point in the legal battle.
Simultaneously, at the opening of the Second Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament for 2023 in Abuja, parliamentarians expressed grave concerns over the sanctions’ severe impact on Niger’s populace.
Chief Whip Senator Ali Ndume and other parliamentarians emphasized the hardships faced by people in bordering Nigerian states, urging the resolution of the political impasse and the lifting of sanctions.
President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Alieu Touray, stressed the importance of safeguarding democracy in the region. He called for concrete actions to restore constitutional order and reiterated ECOWAS’s commitment to dialogue and support for member states in transition.
Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Dr Sidie Mohammed Tunis, emphasized the need for collective responsibility among member states, urging greater self-reliance and cooperation to address regional challenges.
The upcoming court ruling and continued appeals by parliamentarians and officials underscore the pressing need for a diplomatic resolution to the crisis, with hopes for a favorable outcome for the people of Niger and the region at large.
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