Against the backdrop of the ongoing brewing instability on the African Continent, most especially the West African sub-region which has experienced decades of political strife and civil conflicts, the Solicitor General of General and Chief Prosecutor of Liberia, Cllr. Sayma Syrenius Cephus, who also serves as Vice President and Board Member of the Association of European Lawyers (AEA) and Justinian Lawyers, says African lawyers cannot allow themselves to become disinterested when democracy is under threat anywhere on the African Continent, noting that as guardians of the law, they will have no law to guard in the absence of democracy, which in itself, is government by and of the law.
“Of course, the courtroom is a good place to resolve conflicts. But we know that the adversarial nature of the legal practice does not make the courtroom the only suitable place to resolve conflicts. Affording the space for wise counsel and interventions can prove to be a less costly and sustainable way to resolve conflicts including seemingly intractable ones.
“Such an esteemed council of wisdom and experiences could also be employed to consider addressing and counseling incumbent presidents and leaders against revisiting constitutional provisions to benefit incumbents into overstaying, as well as use the platform they have been given to advocate for adherence to the rule of law across our continent. We cannot allow ourselves to return to the dark days of military coup d’états on our continent, nor should we also permit flaunting of term limits, which is political or constitutional coup d’états. Coup d’état in whatever form is dangerous to democracy. There can be no justification of using a coup d’état to address the problem of another coup d’état,” Cllr. Cephas lamented.
Addressing the auspicious African Bar Association Conference in Niamey, Republic of Niger, on October 4, 2021, the Liberian Solicitor General used the occasion to call for the establishment of an “Advisory Council” comprising eminent jurists, former presidents and statesmen and women, as well as citizens of diverse professional background, who will be tasked to advice the African Bar, and also offer advisory for some of the challenges across the African Continent.
“Of course, the courtroom is a good place to resolve conflicts. But we know that the adversarial nature of the legal practice does not make the courtroom the only suitable place to resolve conflicts. Affording the space for wise counsel and interventions can prove to be a less costly and sustainable way to resolve conflicts including seemingly intractable ones,” Cllr. Cephas observed, noting that such an esteemed council of wisdom and experiences could also be employed to consider addressing and counseling incumbent presidents and leaders against revisiting constitutional provisions to benefit incumbents into overstaying, as well as use the platform they have been given to advocate for adherence to the rule of law across our continent.
“We cannot allow ourselves to return to the dark days of military coup d’états on our continent, nor should we also permit flaunting of term limits, which is political or constitutional coup d’états. Coup d’état in whatever form is dangerous to democracy. There can be no justification of using a coup d’état to address the problem of another coup d’état, Cllr. Cephas averred.
The ceremony brought together legal luminaries as well as topnotch government officials from Niger and the sub-region, including eminent citizens of Africa.
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