ECOWAS Chairman condemns the attempted coups in Guinea and Niger
By Correspondent Chinyere Ogbonna – ECOWAS Chairman, President Goodluck Jonathan has condemned the attempted coups in Guinea and Niger.
Nigeria President Goodluck Jonathan
He warned that the Economic Community of West African States ([ECOWAS) would no longer tolerate military interventions in the sub-region.
President Jonathan who is the current chairman of the regional body made the remark at the inauguration of the third ECOWAS parliament in Abuja.
He said ECOWAS heads of governments would henceforth resist forceful takeover of power by the military adding that any military regime that takes over power in the region would be sanctioned.
“Let me emphatically say that ECOWAS will never accept unconstitutional change of government and we will work with the international community to frustrate any such attempt,” Jonathan said in Abuja, where the bloc has its headquarters.
“Our region needs to progress and move away from the course of political uncertainty, economic stagnation and social degradation hitherto characterized by unconstitutional ways of changing government.”
The President noted that it was time for West Africa states to outgrow culture of political uncertainty, economic stagnation and social degradation.
This he linked to the unlawful ways of changing governments in the sub-region.
He, however, expressed his happiness with the enthronement of democracy in all 15 member states of the sub-region.
“We can state with pride that the people of the entire West African sub-region are today under democratically elected governments in all the 15 countries, “he said.
President Jonathan who made reference to the recent return to democratic rule in Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea and Niger, noted that despite the political difficulties experienced during certain periods of our political history, there was still reason to celebrate.
