Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Authority of Heads of State and Government, President Bola Tinubu, yesterday, implored West African leaders to prioritise good governance and collective prosperity as an essential tool to prevent authoritarian takeovers of power and unconstitutional changes of government in the region.
Addressing the high-powered regional gathering at the 64th ordinary session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, the President identified good governance as a key catalyst to secure popular support through the socio-economic transformation and development of West Africa.
The President said, “The delivery of good governance is not just a fundamental commitment; it is also an avenue to address the concerns of our citizens, to improve their quality of life, and create a stable environment conducive to the achievement of sustainable development.
“By providing good governance that tackles the challenges of poverty, inequality and other concerns of the people, we would have succeeded in addressing some of the root causes of military interventions in civilian processes in our region”.
Recounting decisions taken by West African leaders to further strengthen the region’s democratic achievements and uphold the right of the people to elect the leaders of their choice, the President said the bloc has outlined specific measures to be taken against any member state opting for unconstitutional change of government.
President Tinubu also used the occasion to applaud President George Weah of Liberia for conceding victory and congratulating his opponent during the last presidential election in Liberia.
He invited leaders at the summit and other participants to give a standing ovation to President Weah. He also acknowledged the presence of former President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria, who in 2015 displayed a similar commitment to democratic ideals after losing his re-election to the opposition candidate, Muhammadu Buhari.
President Tinubu also responded to the recent decision by some ECOWAS-member States, under military rule, to float a so-called ‘Alliance of Sahel States’, describing it as distracting and emphasizing the commitment to pursuing ECOWAS integration.
On the recent disturbances in Sierra Leone and Guinea Bissau, the ECOWAS Chairman asked fellow leaders to pay attention to protecting democracy, reiterating ECOWAS’ zero-tolerance to unconstitutional changes of government.
