The presidents and representatives of 12 member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are set to converge at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja, for an Extraordinary Summit on Sunday, July 7. This meeting comes as President Bola Tinubu’s tenure as the Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS ends on July 9.
Naija News understands that the meeting, scheduled to begin at 11:00 am, will likely see the West African leaders selecting a new chair to guide the affairs of the bloc for the next year. However, there are indications that the leaders may extend Tinubu’s tenure to give him more time to possibly reintegrate Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso into the bloc.
A presidency source who spoke to Punch mentioned, “Some people say he should hand over, and others say he should continue. But they will decide tomorrow.”
Tinubu was elected Chairman of the Authority at the 63rd Ordinary Session of the regional bloc held last July in Bissau, the capital of Guinea-Bissau. After receiving the handover documents from the outgoing Chairman, Guinea-Bissau’s President Umaro Embaló, Tinubu emphasized the importance of democracy.
“We will take democracy seriously. Democracy is very tough, but it is the form of government,” the Nigerian leader stated.
During his tenure, Tinubu highlighted the alarming levels of insecurity and the increasing pattern of military coups in the region, stressing that these issues demand urgent and concerted efforts from all member states.
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