Barau Emerges Acting Speaker Of ECOWAS Parliament

Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, has been appointed as the acting Speaker of the Sixth Legislature of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament.

His emergence occurred during the parliament’s session in Abuja on Thursday, where he led the Nigerian delegation.

Jibrin’s nomination as the 1st Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament was initiated by Rep Awaji-Inombek D. Abiante and supported by Senator Ireti Kingibe.

This development aligns with the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government’s rotational policy, which had designated the Speakership to the Republic of Togo for this term.

Due to the absence of the Togolese delegation at the inauguration, Edwin Melvin Snowe JR from Liberia was elected as the Speaker Pro-tempore and conducted the session, which included the election of deputy speakers.

Snowe JR’s temporary presidency facilitated the decision to appoint Senator Barau as the acting Speaker to prevent a leadership vacuum until the Togolese delegation formally assumes its designated role.

Honourable Adjaratou Traore Coulibaly (Cote D’ Ivoire) emerged as 2nd Deputy Speaker; Honourable Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin (Ghana) was elected 3rd Deputy Speaker and Honourable Billay G Tunkara (Gambia) emerged as Fourth Deputy Speaker.

The opening ceremony was attended by President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Chairman of ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

In his speech, President Tinubu called on ECOWAS member states to come together, strengthen ties, and reject forces bent on causing division within the community.

He said regional solidarity is imperative to strengthen the bloc’s resilience and effectiveness at this critical juncture.

Lawmakers from Nigeria, Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cote D’ Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Senegal and Sierra Leone were inaugurated as members of the Sixth Legislature of the ECOWAS.

The ECOWAS Parliament, also known as the Community Parliament, is one of the institutions of the ECOWAS. It is the Assembly of Peoples of the Community, serving as a forum of dialogue, consultation and consensus for representatives of the people of West Africa to promote integration.

The ECOWAS Parliament which was established under Articles 6 and 13 of the ECOWAS revised treaty of 1993, is composed of 115 seats.