Renowned human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has criticised President Bola Tinubu and other West African leaders for ignoring the judgments of the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice, calling it a grave violation of the rule of law and a blow to Nigeria’s regional credibility.

Falana’s remarks came in response to President Tinubu’s speech at the ECOWAS 50th anniversary celebration in Lagos, where the Nigerian leader lauded the regional body’s commitment to democracy, rule of law, and strong institutions.

In a statement on Sunday, Falana described the president’s assertions as disconnected from the region’s troubling reality, accusing ECOWAS leaders—particularly Nigeria—of consistently flouting court rulings.

“With respect, the ECOWAS leaders have failed to uphold democratic norms and rule of law. Hence, the region has continued to witness unconstitutional change of government,” Falana said.

He cited official ECOWAS Court data as of December 2024, which shows Nigeria as the worst offender with 44 unenforced judgments, followed by Togo (27), Guinea (15), Mali (10), and Sierra Leone (9). Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Niger (8 each), and Ghana (6) also feature on the list of defaulters.

Falana warned that persistent disregard for the court’s decisions erodes its authority and sets a dangerous precedent. He noted that former West African leaders—including Charles Taylor, Laurent Gbagbo, and Boni Yayi—sought protection from the same ECOWAS Court they had previously undermined while in power.

He reminded the public that Nigeria, in 2014, officially designated the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) as the competent authority to enforce the court’s rulings under Article 24 of the ECOWAS Court Protocol. Yet, successive administrations have ignored this legal obligation.

“It is the height of embarrassment that Nigeria tops the list with the highest number of unenforced judgments at a time Tinubu is the chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government,” Falana stated.

He called on President Tinubu to immediately instruct the AGF, Lateef Fagbemi, to begin implementing the court’s decisions in full, asserting that such action is critical to restoring both Nigeria’s leadership role in the region and the credibility of ECOWAS itself.