Tinubu drums support for direct election into ECOWAS parliament

Kunle Sanni

President Bola Tinubu has declared his support for a proposal that calls for direct elections of members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) parliament.

Tinubu said this while giving his keynote address at the sixth ECOWAS parliament’s induction of 97 new members on Thursday at the International Conference Centre in Abuja, TheCable has reported.

He said that the plan for a direct election will give the people of member states a voice in choosing their MPs.

The 115 members in the parliament are distributed among the member states according to population, with a minimum of five representatives guaranteed to each.

“The practice of directly electing public officers aligns with democratic principles, principles that Nigeria upholds,” the president said.

“This principle is also in line with the spirit of the ECOWAS protocol on democracy and good governance.

“We believe this will ensure that citizens will have a direct say in their representation and the legitimacy and credibility it will provide.”

The members of parliament sworn in include 35 from Nigeria and five each from Benin Republic, Cabo Verde, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Sierra Leon, and Togo.

The remaining members are composed of six each from Senegal and Guinea, seven from Cote d’Ivoire, and eight from Ghana. Due to their declared decision to leave the bloc, Mali, the Niger Republic, and Burkina Faso are not represented in the sixth parliament.

Underlining the possible ramifications for both their citizens and the stability of the region as a whole, Tinubu pleaded with the three member states to reevaluate their choice.