The Gambia’s president, Yahya Jammeh’s decision to ignore a call to hand over power peacefully by the Economic Community of West African Communities was following in the footsteps of other presidents within the region, human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has said.
In a statement on Sunday, Mr. Falana said Nigeria’s Muhammmadu Buhari and Ghana’s former president, John Mahama, lack the moral right to ask Mr. Jammeh to hand over because they ignored rulings handed down by the ECOWAS court last year.

Mr. Jammeh, who came to power in a bloodless coup in 1994, suffered a surprise defeat in the hands of Adama Barrow in the December 1presidential election.
After initially accepting defeat, the incumbent Gambian president, who had ruled the country with an iron fist, reversed his position and called for fresh election.
The ECOWAS in an emergency meeting in Abuja last month set up a Mediation Team co-chaired by Messrs Buhari and Mahama to ensure a hitch free political transition programme in The Gambia.

But Mr. Jammeh has sworn not to hand over power or quit office.

Although ECOWAS is deliberating deploying troops to force Mr. Jammeh out of office if he clings to power beyond January 19, 2016, the head of the regional body, Liberia’s president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, told journalists on Saturday that they would continue to pursue a peaceful mediation and transfer of power.

“While urging President Jammeh to hand over power peacefully and allow the Supreme Court of The Gambia to determine his election petition in line with the rule of law we call on both Nigeria and Ghana to also respect the rule of law by complying with the judgments handed down last year by the Community Court of Justice which indicted them for the abuse of the human rights of two community citizens,” said Mr. Falana, a senior advocate of Nigeria.


“In the case of Obioma Ogukwe v Republic of Ghana the Ecowas Court ordered the defendant to pay the sum of $250,000 to the plaintiff as reparation over the failure to investigate and bring to book those who caused the death of his 15-year old son by drowning on October 15, 2013, at Tema, in Ghana.

“The judgment which was delivered on June 17, 2016, was disobeyed by the Mahama administration without any justification.

“In the case of Col Sambo Dasuki v Federal Republic of Nigeria the Ecowas Court ordered the defendant to admit the plaintiff to bail pending the determination of the criminal cases pending against him at the federal high court and the federal capital territory high court.

“As the federal government could not justify the prolonged detention of the criminal suspect the court awarded N15 million damages in his favour. Since the judgment was delivered on October 4, 2016, the Buhari administration has not adduced any reason for treating it with contempt.”

According to Mr. Falana, since it is public knowledge that both Nigeria and Ghana are in contempt of valid and subsisting judgments of the ECOWAS Court, President Jammeh would justify his disdain for the rule of law by questioning the moral integrity of the leaders of the two nations to enforce a resolution of the body on democracy in The Gambia.

“To avoid such avoidable embarrassment I am compelled to call on President Buhari of Nigeria and President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana to ensure that they purge their countries of the contempt of the juridical organ of the Ecowas without any further delay,” said Mr. Falana.

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/219949-gambias-jammeh-following-buhari-mahamas-footsteps-falana.html

This is a case of eni fe dajo fun ni tara re laakoko wo

Let me ask sarrki Omenka APCmyheart psalmsjob NgeneUkwenu
Pls do you agree with Falana on this?

Myd44 did you agree with SAN Falana here abi Falana don join the Wailers Association of Nigeria.

How does one refusing to accept defeat in an election he had earlier conceded defeat equate to not obeying an ECOWAS court whose ruling is largely advisory?

Buhary lack moral justification whatsoever...

Like buhari like jammeh...

TRUE OOO

Buhari is a shameless hypocrite!!! A man that rejected election results were he clearly lost as an opposition leader, is now at the forefront asking Jammeh to concede defeat

You see some people praising Falana now because he has said what pleases them. Were it for the other way around, they'd call him disparaging names. When Sahara Reporters exposes people from the Buhari government, they give a thumb up; when it's Patience, Maduekwe, or a PDP member, they'll say they're being paid by APC to spread "propaganda" and "media trial".

All these coded wailers.

Falana we sight u oo

Daviddson:
You see some people praising Falana now because he has said what pleases them. Were it for the other way around, they'd call him disparaging names. When Sahara Reporters exposes people from the Buhari government, they give a thumb up; when it's Patience, Maduekwe, or a PDP member, they'll say they're being paid by APC to spread "propaganda" and "media trial".

E pain am.

Counter the point nwokem and leave unnecessary talk...

To avoid such avoidable embarrassment I am compelled to call on President Buhari of Nigeria and President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana to ensure that they purge their countries of the contempt of the juridical organ of the Ecowas without any further delay,” said Mr. Falana.

That's akin to saying they should remove the specs of dusts in their own eyes before seeking the log of wood in Jammeh eyes.

So Buhari and Akufo-Addo stand disqualified in the eyes of moral justice.

Falana don see the light

Hmmmmm

Really. He will come out tomorrow to disprove the news.

Buhari has become the definition of hypocrisy.
He refused to comment on the massacre of citizens in Southern Kaduna where over 800 were killed but is always quick to condole western nations when small acts of terror occur.
The Supreme Court of Gambia should be allowed to decide the outcome of the petition by Jammeh. Hillary Clinton contested the results of the US elections and went to court like Jammeh seeking for a recount which was conducted this is after she had declared like Jammeh initially that she would accept whatever is the outcome of the results.
Why is it that when events like these occur in Africa the West starts thinking of military solution, see Ivory Coast where Soldiers took the Defense Minister hostage and took over some cities last week, this is after effects of the civil war sponsored by France there which Jonathan stupidly supported?

Even the UK is already thinking about how to discard the BREXIT referndum vote by manipulation through the UK parliament and the EU or UN is not threatening them with military action.

I see...

OK

Ok

DropShot:
How does one refusing to accept defeat in an election he had earlier conceded defeat equate to not obeying an ECOWAS court whose ruling is largely advisory?

zombie spotted

Discontentment arising.
Bakare, now falana, next Osibanjo.

AllTheWayUp:



Like Buhari like Idi Amin

see am, no time

This is a low blow for the lawless, illiterate dictator who is renting Aso Rock from us.

DropShot:
How does one refusing to accept defeat in an election he had earlier conceded defeat equate to not obeying an ECOWAS court whose ruling is largely advisory?

Is the position of Buhari and other ECOWAS leaders in this matter not also advisory? What made you to think that they can usurp the powers of the Gambian Supreme Court because Barrow claimed that the Chief Justice of Gambia is a Nigerian and an associate of Jammeh?

Booked

Montaque:
Discontentment arising.
Bakare, now falana, next Osibanjo.

You forgot Obasanjo and Mbaka.