By Linus Aleke
The Speaker of ECOWAS Parliament, Dr. Sidie Mohamed Tunis has identified factors that breed coup d’etat in West Africa.

Dr. Tunis said the situations in the Republics of Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso, exacerbated by the failed coup in the Republic of Guinea Bissau, are threatening issues that require the Parliament’s urgent attention.

The Speaker who was speaking at the ongoing 2022 First Extraordinary Session in Liberia identified the factors breeding coup d’etat in West Africa to include, constitutional abuse and deficit in good governance principles, the lack of transparency in the electioneering processes, corruption, as well as civil unrest resulting from unplanned change in constitution.

“As a result, our democratic processes appear weakened, thereby impacting negatively on the image of ECOWAS,” he said.

Speaker Tunis also picked hole in the use of sanctions to deter coup plotters, arguing that, the policy of isolation, as a result of imposed sanctions, seriously undermines regional integration.

According to him, “Its impact appears to have consequences, mostly characterized by debates by ordinary citizens in some Member States, on the desirability or otherwise of their continued ECOWAS membership.

“We remain mindful of the prevailing political situation in the Republics of Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso; the three Member States where democracy has been disrupted and hence the decision by the Authority of Heads of state and Government to suspend them. As I stated in my opening speech at the Parliamentary Seminar, I wish to reiterate that it is a matter of concern that the transitional plans in those countries seem expansive and vague, making it difficult to identify priorities and assess progress”.

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The President of Liberia, Dr. George Weah said the restoration of constitutional order in Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso is a task that must be done.

He noted that Liberia has zero tolerance for any form of unconstitutional takeover of power and that is why he is prepared to support every move that will enhance the quick return of power to these countries through constitutional means.

He charged the ECOWAS Parliament to use this opportunity of their meeting in Liberia to find a lasting solution to these challenges of coup d’états that is becoming a recurring decimal within the sub-region.