ECOWAS Chair inaugurates 6th legisltaure

The Chairman of The Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria, inaugurated the Sixth Legislature of the ECOWAS Parliament on Thursday, April 4, 2024, following the end of the Fifth Legislature on March 8, 2024.
The inaugural session of the Sixth Legislature was convened by the Chair of The Authority, pursuant to Article 28 of the Supplementary Act on the Enhancement of the Powers of the ECOWAS Parliament of 2016. It formally marks the commencement of the business of the legislature, and saw the swearing in of 97 Members of the new legislature at the seat of Parliament in Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria.
President Tinubu while delivering the opening speech of the inaugural session, pledged his support for the enhancement of powers of the Community Parliament and the establishment of direct universal suffrage processes for the election of its members.
Rt. Hon Sidie Mohammed Tunis, Speaker of the just concluded Fifth Legislature delivered his farewell address and a goodwill message pledging continued commitment to the cause of advancing regional democracy and development.
Notable attendees at the epoch event include President of Nigeria’s Senate, H.E. Senator Godswill Obot Akapabio, Minister of Foreign Affairs/Chairman, ECOWAS Council of Ministers, H. E. Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, President of the ECOWAS Commission, H.E Dr. Omar Alieu Touray and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, H.E Bar. Ezenwo Nyesom Wike.
Article 24 of the Supplementary Act of the Parliament relating to the Enhancement of the Powers of Parliament provides that the position of the Speaker of the Parliament shall be allocated to Member States by the Authority of Heads of State and Government, in line with an established rotational system based on the alphabetical order of Member States. Consequently, Authority Decision A/DEC.1/3/24, allocating the position of Speaker of the Sixth Legislature to the Republic of Togo, was recently signed by its Chairman, being that the Republic comes next in alphabetical order of Member States after Sierra Leone which held the position of Speaker in the just ended Fifth Legislature.
Members of Parliament are therefore expected to elect a Member of the Togolese delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament, to serve as Speaker for a four-year tenure, in accordance with the provisions of the Supplementary Act 2016.