ECOWAS Must Take Steps To Prevent Coups In West Africa

Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo has called on the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) must take proactive steps to prevent coups in the sub-region.

Osinbajo stated this while representing President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday at a virtual extraordinary session of the authority of heads of state and government of ECOWAS member-states on the political developments in the republics of Guinea and Mali.

The meeting, attended by 10 ECOWAS leaders, comes days after Guinean President Alpha Conde was ousted in a coup d’etat.

The vice-president condemned the Guinean coup, saying the development could destabilise the Republic of Guinea.

Also Read: Military Coup Leaders In Guinea Ban Ministers From Travelling

“What happened in Guinea is a brazen disregard for the provisions of ECOWAS protocol on democracy and good governance, which clearly states that every accession to power must be made through free, fair and transparent election,” he said.

Osinbajo said: “The unconstitutional seizure of power in any shape or form is simply unacceptable,” adding that “four coups within the last few months is a dangerous trend indeed.”

“Could we, for example, work out an understanding with the UN, AU, Commonwealth and possibly, even the development finance institutions we are a part of to act in unity to suspend a country where there has been a seizure of power from all these bodies simultaneously?”

He then called on the sub-regional group to immediately “invoke the provisions of Article 45 of the ECOWAS protocol on democracy and good governance by suspending Guinea from all ECOWAS decision-making bodies and statutory meetings. We should also take any other necessary punitive measures that will ensure that the military junta does not overstay in power”.

“We must forestall a repeat of military interventions and the instability it engenders in the West African sub-region,” he said.