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The Economic Community of West African States Parliament is stepping up diplomatic efforts to prevent Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso from leaving the regional bloc.
The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, confirmed that parliamentary diplomatic mechanisms were being deployed to engage the three nations, emphasising the importance of unity within ECOWAS.
He spoke in an interview over the weekend with newsmen in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on the sidelines of a meeting of the parliament’s Joint Committee on Administration, Finance, Budget, Public Accounts, Macroeconomic Policy and Economic Research, of which he is Chairman.
Kalu said letters had been sent to the governments of the concerned nations, and visits by parliamentary representatives would soon follow.
He expressed confidence that dialogue would lead to their reintegration into the regional body.
“There are already mechanisms in place, through what is called parliamentary diplomacy, to reach out to them.
“Letters have been sent to them, and very soon, some of us will start visiting those countries to engage the heads of government.
“We will open up the doors for them to come back to the family; we need them.
“We will tell them, for instance, that, granted, maybe they were offended by one or two things, but let us sit down again and discuss.”
In addition to addressing the potential exit, the ECOWAS Parliament is pushing for reforms to strengthen legislative independence.
Kalu, who also chairs the country’s House of Representatives Constitutional Review Committee, said that the laws governing ECOWAS needed updating to reflect the changing political landscape.
He said the proposed amendments would bolster the separation of powers and enhance the credibility of the institution on the international stage.
The two-term lawmaker (APC-Abia, Bende Constituency) added, “Rightly put, we need to amend the Supplementary Act. Also, the protocols that brought the ECOWAS Commission and ECOWAS Parliament into existence need to be overhauled.
“This is because these laws are not cast in stones. Indeed, no law is cast in stone.”
Since January 28, 2024, when the military juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger announced their decision to withdraw from ECOWAS, the regional body has attempted to negotiate their return through sanctions relief and invitations to technical meetings.
However, these attempts have not been fruitful.
