By Lewis S. Teh
Bomi County Senator and Chairman on Security, and governance at the ECOWAS Parliament, Edwin Melvin Snowe says the committee on security and governance and the regional parliament, in general, will not relent on naming and shaming any democratically elected government in the region that will go beyond two terms.
“There’s is an upcoming ECOWAS summit which is expected to be hosted here in Liberia, at that summit we will discuss key issues affecting the region, including to name and shame any government that will want to go beyond their two-term limits, informing your citizens that you oppose the two-term limits given you by your constitution”, he says.
Appearing on OK Morning Rush a live talk show on Monday, February 7, 2022, in Monrovia, Sen. Snowe said the regional block is working to have a treaty on good governance to ensure that no government exceeds two terms in office.
He says the last ECOWAS summit held, Togo and Ivory Coast weren’t happy with the treaty regarding the two terms adding that in ECOWAS, most of the decisions are based on consensus, saying because of their rejection, that treaty was withdrawn. “But this summit, we’re putting that treaty back on the table to make sure that no country goes beyond the regular two-term limit.
The Bomi County Senator continues that ECOWAS has also discouraged military takeover in member states, saying “there are actions that will be taken to ensure peace in the region, and luckily for us, Liberia will be making history, because they will be hosting the entire ECOWAS parliament this March where over 200 participants will be in attendance, and the main discussion will center around the military takeover in the region.”
He says that the summit will come up with a strong resolution that will be submitted to President Weah and the President of Ghana, who’s the current chair for the ECOWAS Commission.
” At that summit, we will be condemning all those presidents that will be changing their constitutions, and condemning those countries that will go against two-term limits, corruption, nepotism, human rights abuse because those are things that trigger a military takeover”, Sen. Snowe notes.
He observes that the number of military takeovers in the region is on the increase, and the pending summit to be hosted in Liberia will be a huge debate on such issues, adding that when the military starts to feel that the country’s constitution is being abused, then it gives room for military takeover because the military in any country has the biggest gun far than the police.
“We as politicians must take the necessary action to avoid this thing from happening, let’s do the right thing so we can’t have the wrong action”, he cautions.
West Africa has witnessed three military coups in less than a year, beginning from Mali, followed by Guinea with the latest in Burkina Faso principally due to corruption and bad governance, including constitutional amendments by sitting presidents to seek a third term in office as it occurred in neighboring Guinea and Ivory Coast despite mass opposition. Editing by Jonathan Browne
