President Bola Tinubu has asked the military leaderships of Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali to reconsider their decision to withdraw from the Economic Community of West African States.
This was as he affirmed ECOWAS’ readiness to correspondingly re-examine its punitive approach to restoring constitutional rule to the states.
Tinubu spoke in his capacity as the Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government when he declared open an extraordinary summit on the political, peace, and security situation in the region at the State House, Abuja.
Urging both sides to prioritise the welfare of their people, he said, “Times like we currently face in our sub-region demand that we take difficult but courageous decisions that put the plight of our people at the centre of our deliberations.
Tinubu said that during Saturday’s summit, leaders would receive a memorandum from the President of the ECOWAS Commission on the region’s peace, security, and political situation.
He explained that “The Memorandum will give us an update on the current situation in the Republics of Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali and Niger.
“On that note, our decisions must be guided by our commitment to safeguarding the constitutional order, upholding democratic principles, and promoting the social and economic well-being of the citizens of the aforementioned countries.
“Furthermore, we will deliberate on the announced withdrawal from ECOWAS by the Republics of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. In the spirit of collective security and African solidarity, we realize that the stability of these nations is intricately linked to the overall peace and security of West Africa.”
Therefore, the ECOWAS Chairman urged member states to engage in constructive deliberations to examine the actions taken by these countries and ensure that the citizens are not denied the benefits derived from the regional integration initiatives.
In a similar vein, Tinubu cited the recent decision by the Constitutional Council of Senegal to annul the postponement of the electoral process, describing it as “a matter that demands our attention.”
