MORE than 106 decisions reached by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court (representing 70 per cent), are yet to be implemented by the Member States, the President of the Court Edward Amoako Asante has said.
Asante added that 11 court rulings against ECOWAS have not been complied with.
He disclosed this on Tuesday, May 9, during the first regular session of the 5th Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament taking place in Abuja, Nigeria.
Asante condemned the non-compliance with the judgments of the Court but expressed optimism that the parliamentary session would present measures that will help raise the level of enforcement of the Court’s judgments.
The President pointed out that the Court has contributed significantly to strengthening some of the foundations of democracy, such as respect for human rights and protection of freedom of expression, by holding member states accountable for their obligations under international treaties.
Asante said that the recent democratic transitions in the three member states of Burkina Faso, Guinea and Mali eloquently demonstrated the fragility of democracy in the region and underscored the need for collective vigilance and coherent measures to protect it.
Meanwhile, the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament Sidie Tunis, expressed concern about the spread of terrorist activity in the Sahel, which had resulted in the deaths of innocent people, and slowed the pace of transition processes in Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso.
“First, we have a responsibility to promote peace in our region, which can only be achieved by maintaining the structures and respecting the policies and protocols that we already have.
“Second, collective and immediate action is needed to address the challenges we face, including poverty, inequality, climate change and more,” Tunis said.
The Speaker added that ECOWAS will closely follow developments in Sierra Leone and Liberia as they prepare for the presidential and parliamentary elections in June and October, respectively.
On his part, the Chairman of the ECOWAS Commission Omar Touray, used the opportunity to congratulate Nigeria’s President-elect Bola Tinubu and express his commitment to work closely with him on all matters affecting the region.
Touray also praised Nigeria for its political maturity, which enabled the country’s presidential and parliamentary elections to be held peacefully.
“I would like to commend the government and people of Nigeria for their political maturity which made it possible to hold peaceful presidential and legislative elections.
“I take this opportunity to warmly congratulate the President-elect, His Excellency Mr. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and to reiterate to him the Community’s full willingness to work closely with him on issues affecting our region,” he said
The first ordinary session of the 5th Legislature which began on May 8th will end on May 26th, 2023.
