Niger military rulers drag Tinubu to Court The Economic Community of West African States Court in Abuja is set to deliver its ruling on interim measures in a case involving the State of Niger, seven others, and the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS.
The court fixed the date for December 7, 2023, after hearing both parties during a session held on Monday, November 21, 2023, in Abuja, Nigeria.
During the hearing, the applicants, represented by lawyers including Mr Moukaila Yaye, argued that the sanctions imposed by ECOWAS, led by Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, have adversely affected the Nigerien people.
This impact includes shortages of food, medicine, and electricity due to border closures and the cut-off of electricity supply by Nigeria.
The court statement on Wednesday mentioned that the applicants requested interim court orders compelling ECOWAS to immediately suspend the sanctions. They claimed the sanctions were disproportionate, treating Niger unfairly compared to other member states that experienced coups.
The applicants also sought the court’s declaration of competence to examine the case and the admissibility of their application.
Respondents, including the Authority of Heads of State, the Mediation and Security Council, and the ECOWAS Commission, objected to the application’s inadmissibility. They argued that a junta doesn’t have legal capacity, emphasizing the democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum’s pending case challenging the junta’s legitimacy.
The initiating application by the State of Niger and others urged the court to declare the measures taken by ECOWAS illegal. These measures, discussed during extraordinary sessions in July and August 2023, aimed at restoring constitutional order in Niger, including imposing sanctions and considering military intervention.
Parliamentarians of ECOWAS have appealed to lift the sanctions on Niger. The sanctions were imposed in July following the ouster of President Bazoum. Senator Ali Ndume highlighted the impact on border states, urging ECOWAS to resolve the political impasse by lifting sanctions and reopening the closed border.Abdullahi Salame from Sokoto expressed the suffering of his people due to the sanctions, with stranded trailers of food items at the border decaying.Credit / Punchnews