allAfrica.com * Senate Voids Cession of Bakassi to Cameroon Leadership (Abuja) NEWS 22 November 2007 Posted to the web 23 November 2007 By Andrew Oota Abuja The senate today contradicted the position of the World Court, which ceded Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon; insisting that the cession was unconstitutional, null and void, since due process was not followed. This came on the heels of a motion moved by Senator Bassey Ewa- Henshaw on the impending crises in and uncertain fate of the people of Bakassi. In the motion co-sponsored by 22 senators, the attention of the senate was drawn to section 12 (1) of the 1999 constitution. It further stressed that the signing of the cession agreement of the Peninsula to Cameroon n August 14th, 2006 was a unilateral decision of the former president Olusegun Obasanjo which violates section 12(1) of the 1999 constitution. The senate noted also that since the judgment, the Green Tree Agreement is yet to place before the National Assembly for scrutiny as required by the constitution. The motion also states that, "this senate observes with great concern and disappointment the certain fate and neglect now faced by the people of Bakassi since their relocation from their ancestral homes in the Peninsula to Ikang in Akpabuyo local government area of Cross River state". The motion also drew the attention of the upper legislative chamber to an incidence that claimed about 20 Cameroonians gendarmes reported been ambushed and killed as well as the retaliatory killing of some 10 Nigerians in the Peninsula. " we also draw the attention of president Umaru Musa Yar'Adua to the fact that transfer of Bakassi from Nigeria to Cameroon under the agreement of June 12, 2006 without ratification by the National Assembly as required by section 12 (1) of our constitution is unconstitutional and of no effect" The senate also urged the president to henceforth to submit the agreement to the National Assembly for scrutiny without delay "to enable the National Assembly determine whether or not it is in the interest of Nigeria to ratify the agreement". The senate also requested the federal Government to forthwith stop any further transfer of territory in any part of Nigeria to Cameroon until and unless the Agreement is ratified by the National Assembly. Contributing on the matter, the Deputy Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN) told the senate that the National Assembly should have being contacted or involved before enforcing the judgment of the International Court of Justice. His words "Bakassi is mentioned in the first schedule of the Constitution of Nigeria and for us to full implementation of the ICJ judgment cannot be considered until during the constitution amendment," Ndoma-Egba added. For senator Joseph Akaagerger, the former president compounded the problem for not adhering to the due process of law before surrendering to the ICJ judgement. Also speaking on the motion, the Senate Deputy Minority Leader, Senator Olorunimbe Mamora blamed the former president for not carrying the along the National Assembly in the Bakassi matter and the judgement of the ICJ. According to the AC senator, "Everything that was done supposed to have involved the parliament because that is what divides democracy from autocracy. If you leave out the parliament what you have is autocracy. Just like the Europeans shared out Africa as an international cake, Bakassi was shared out as a national cake." He also described as "unfortunate", the action of former President Obasanjo in signing the agreement to cede part of Nigeria on June 12, 2006, "a day that is celebrated as a day for consolidation of democracy by many Nigerians." It was also the views of some of the lawmakers that Nigeria would not be the first country to disregard the judgment of the ICJ. Briefing senate correspondents, the chairman, senate committee on Media and Information, Senator Ayogu Eze said, "Our laws supersedes. Bakassi is listed in our Constitution as part of Nigeria and unless that section of the Constitution is amended it remains part of Nigeria. So in effect no part of Nigeria has been ceded." He continued "The history of the ICJ has several rulings that have been passed and not implemented. We have to go through the issue of Bakassi all over again, our people have been displaced and we cannot pretend not to know their plight. This is a shame. The judges can also be influenced by what is happening now, so we can start a whole process of law at the ICJ again." Earlier Senator Anthony Manzo (PDP Taraba) cited example of Israel which has disobeyed several ICJ rulings. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 2007 Leadership. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------