The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, has expressed optimism that nothing will obstruct free, fair, transparent, and democratic elections in the 2023 elections in Sierra Leone, Nigeria, and Liberia.

Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Sidie Mohamed Tunis, expressed the hope while speaking during the opening ceremony of the Second Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament in Abuja.

In attendance were President Muhammadu Buhari; President of the Republic of Guinea Bissau and Chair of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, President Umaro Sissoco Embalo; President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, amongst others.

Tunis pledged the full support of the parliament to work with the ECOWAS Commission, partners and stakeholders to instil trust and confidence in the electoral system of the affected countries.

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Tunis said: “As we prepare for elections in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Republic of Sierra Leone, and the Republic of Liberia next year, the ECOWAS Parliament pledges its full support to work with the ECOWAS commission, partners and stakeholders to instill trust and confidence in the electoral systems.

“We express optimism that nothing will obstruct free, fair, transparent, and democratic elections in these member states.”

Tunis further said that as a demonstration of the Parliament’s commitment to ensuring peaceful elections, it conducted oversight missions to the National Centres for the Coordination of the Early Warning and Response Mechanism in the Early Warning Offices in Nigeria, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.

Tunis added that the engagements were very enlightening and fruitful, and the reports from those missions would be carefully considered later during the session.

Earlier, Tunis lamented that as a region, the people of West Africa are confronted with unending chaos and crises, which are threatening the gains the region has made in the recent past.

“Most prominent and most recent is the COVID-19 pandemic, with its impact on our economies. This has remained a cause for concern. The pandemic occasioned a slowdown in the pace of growth of our economies, many of which are still struggling to recover from the setbacks brought upon them,” he stated.

On the global front, Tunis said the region is confronted with the war between Russia and Ukraine, which has had far-reaching consequences on the welfare of the people of the sub-region.

“We are fully aware of the economic consequences of this war, as well as the attempt by our various governments to cushion the effects. The global economy is, arguably, facing one of the worst challenges in living memory.

“Our population has boundless potentials, our resource endowment is limitless, our opportunities are endless, yet our economies remain vulnerable and fragile. Consequently, we are presently experiencing hyperinflation, especially in relation to prices of commonly used necessities, like food, energy, and transportation. This has far-reaching implications on other goods and services.
As a politician and a servant to the people, I am compelled to always ask; how do our people feed? How do our people pay up their daily bills? How do they address health challenges within their immediate and extended families? How do they provide for the education of their children?
“While the responses to the above rhetorical, yet realistic questions are difficult to find, I wish to use this medium to appeal for understanding among our people. Governments within the region are doing the very best to alleviate the ongoing sufferings. All necessary measures are being put in place to ensure that the ongoing hardship is mitigated.

“Remember that this is one of the downsides of globalization, considering the interdependent world we are living in. I am, however, convinced that to deliver for our own people, we must engage deeply and work together towards a shared future for each of our countries and the ECOWAS region, as a whole.

“We must collectively demonstrate the political will to tackle these challenges together, bearing in mind that the success of one state is bound up in others succeeding, as well,” Tunis further said.

Tunis however said as the Parliament reviews the community budget, they should bear in mind that the region is also confronted with the realities of climate change and an increased impact of climate related shocks.

“These include, but not limited to calamities such as droughts, floods, and torrential rain, which are slowing down growth and increasing poverty in many areas. The continued manifestation of desertification, land degradation and coastal erosion, are equally taking a heavy toll on our region. The recent unprecedented flooding in Nigeria, Chad, Sudan, and other countries that has claimed hundreds of lives and displaced a lot more others, are clear indications that the climate change battle is far from being won,” Tunis also said.

Credit: Sun News