97 members have been sworn in to the 6th Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) parliament at the International Conference Centre in Abuja, News About Nigeria reports.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu swore the members in on Thursday and pledged his support for a proposal for the direct election of members into ECOWAS’ parliament.
He noted that he is eager to review the proposal as a one-time legislator.
“As a one-time legislator myself, I look forward to reviewing the proposal regarding this matter. We stand to support the direct elections into the ECOWAS parliament.
“The practice of directly electing public officers aligns with democratic principles, principles that Nigeria upholds. This principle is also in line with the spirit of the ECOWAS protocol on democracy and good governance,” he stated.
According to him, this will ensure that citizens will have a direct say in their representation and the legitimacy and credibility it will provide.
The President further assured the members of the sixth ECOWAS Parliament that Nigeria, as host of the community, will continue to support the Parliament in whatever capacity to ensure that they achieve their set objectives.
The ECOWAS parliament is currently being populated by existing lawmakers from the 15 member states.
The parliament is composed of 115 seats, where each member state has a guaranteed minimum of five seats, while the remaining 40 seats are shared based on population.
They include 35 members from Nigeria and five each from the Benin Republic, Cabo Verde, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Sierra Leon, and Togo.
Others include eight members from Ghana, seven from Cote d’Ivoire, and six each from Senegal and Guinea.
However, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have no representatives in the sixth parliament, as these states have expressed their intention to exit the bloc.
