On Thursday, President Bola Tinubu expressed his support for a proposal to directly elect members into the parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
This means that instead of the current system, where members are appointed by their respective governments, there would be a direct election process.
Tinubu’s endorsement of this idea highlights the importance of democratic representation within the ECOWAS parliament.
Tinubu said the move would give citizens of member states a say in who represents them.
“As a one-time legislator myself, I look forward to reviewing the proposal regarding this matter. We stand to support the direct elections into ECOWAS parliament,” said Tinubu when he swore in 97 members into the 6th ECOWAS parliament at the Abuja International Conference Centre.
His comments came on the backdrop of the ECOWAS parliament being peopled by existing lawmakers from the 15 member states.
The President said, “The practice of directly electing public officers aligns with democratic principles, principles that Nigeria upholds
“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.”
He assured members of the sixth ECOWAS Parliament that Nigeria, as host of the community, “will continue to support you to achieve your objectives.”
