The Economic Community of West African States, (ECOWAS) has removed economic sanctions placed on Niger Republic, Burkina Faso, Mali and Guinea.
This came following the resolution taken on Saturday, in Abuja, during the extraordinary summit on the political, security, and peace conditions in the ECOWAS sub-region.
However, the regional bloc, noted that the political and targeted sanctions remain.
It would be recalled that the West African bloc had in a swift response to the military coup in Niger, enforced a no-flight zone over the country.
The Nigerian government also cut off power supply to the military-ruled country to persuade the juntas to restore democracy in the country.
President Bola Tinubu happened to be the current chairman of ECOWAS.

It is a national disgrace and shame to Nigeria for three member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to withdraw their membership under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, former deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, has claimed
He said the inability of Tinubu to peacefully resolve the lingering issues leading to the exit of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso from the regional body does not bode well for the leadership roles his predecessors have played in keeping the subregion united and peaceful.

He indicated that the 15-member regional group established about 49 years ago were intact when he assumed the reins of leadership as chairman in July 2023.

“But history will record that things fell apart during his ineffectual, riderless and neglectful stewardship in less than seven months,” Frank declared.

The military regimes in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger had last Sunday announced their immediate breakaway from the ECOWAS and joined forces in an “Alliance of Sahel States.”

The regimes have been having fractured ties with ECOWAS since coups took place in Niger last July, Burkina Faso in 2022 and Mali in 2020 as they have been struggling with jihadist violence and poverty.

The three regimes were suspended from ECOWAS with Niger and Mali facing heavy sanctions but they had maintained their hard-line positions in recent months.

Frank in his reaction to the withdrawal said the buck should stop at the table of President Tinubu who is the present chairman of the body for failing to use his position to foster peace through effective dialogue.
However he said the Nigerian oresident had maintained a hardline stance including a botched attempt to spearhead the use of arms to restore democracy in Niger.

Frank said: “Since assuming office as President of Nigeria, Tinubu has demonstrated his lack of nuanced understanding of regional politics and empathy for poor and suffering Nigerians – his primary constituency.

“No man cannot give what he does not have. His poor leadership of the regional body has led to its ongoing disintegration just as it has brought untold hardship upon Nigerians.

“Your inexperience and that of those handling the economy has destroyed our economy.
“Investors have refused to come into the Region and particularly in Nigeria as they are seen pulling out of Nigeria on a daily basis.

“For instance, Tinubu met the exchange rate of Naira to Dollar at about N600 to a dollar but today it is about N1,500 to a dollar.

“Besides, his knee-jerk removal of fuel subsidy has further impoverished Nigerians with people finding it difficult to feed or afford skyrocketing transport fares.

“Above all, insecurity is on the increase with the nation’s capital – FCT – and other parts of the country rendered increasingly unsafe by incessant kidnappings and gruesome killings.

“How can a man who has not been able to secure and ensure peace in his house be counted upon to provide leadership to a politically, culturally and religiously diverse 15 sovereign nations?

“Today Tinubu is destroying ECOWAS just like he is doing to Nigeria. Tinubu has introduced regionalism into the governance of Nigeria.

“His latest move which must be rejected and resisted by all is to move the nation’s capital back to Lagos through the back by relocating key government agencies, including the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to Lagos. Injustice cannot but breed discontent and disunity.”

He called on President Tinubu to retrace his hasty steps and toxic economic policies both as chairman of ECOWAS and President of Nigeria and equally to ensure that the powers entrusted to him do not ruin the country and the subregion socially, politically and economically.

To say the least, you won’t be on private visit when your house is burning. The right thing to do was to come back home immediately and have an emergency meeting in furtherance of your resignation as ECOWAS chairman, if you has any iota of shame left. It is insensitive and a glaring sign of incompetence.

He further called on the President to seek advice from former Nigerian Presidents who also acted as chairmen of ECOWAS on how to lead Nigeria and the subregional body.

**challenges National Assembly to defend Constitution

The Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has been charged to sack President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as its chairman over lack of legitimacy as President of Nigeria.
Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank gave the charge in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday

According to him, the President lost legitimacy following discovery that he forged the Chicago State University (CSU) certificate he filed with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to contest the 2023 Presidential election.

He said: “If ECOWAS must remain relevant and retain its credibility and respect among member states, especially in dealing with military junta now spreading fast like a pandemic across the sub-Region it must act fast to protect its integrity.”

He equally challenged past and present presidents of member states of ECOWAS to prevail on the sub-Regional body to do the right thing by appointing another chairman in acting capacity pending ratification during the next Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS.

Failure to act timeously would put the Regional body in a lame duck position where all decisions reached during the tenure of Tinubu would not be respected and therefore null and void, Frank indicated.

He urged the leadership of the military junta in Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali and Niger Republic not to have any dealings, discussion or negotiation with the Tinubu-led ECOWAS until the President is removed as its chairman.

He charged the authorities of ECOWAS not to be deceived by the appointment and secondment of broadcast journalist and Channels Television reporter, Mrs Linda Nwabuwa Akhigbe, to serve as Communications Advisor to the ECOWAS Commission President, H.E. Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, in Abuja.

“This is a Greek gift, therefore, the Commission should beware,” he said.

He insisted that Tinubu’s administration in one breathe persecutes the media with recent NBC’s last warning letter to ARISE Television and on the other hand, it bribes them with generous appointments and paid advertisements as recently corroborated by Ex-Governor Nyesom Wike who is the minister of FCT.

He called on the National Assembly to defend the nation’s constitution, democracy and rule of law by urgently commencing impeachment proceedings against Tinubu over gross violation of the constitution.

He insisted that the National Assembly cannot afford to stay aloof while the nation is crumbling under illegalities and breach of the constitution committed by Tinubu as contained in the sworn deposition by the CSU authorities.

He said: “The National Assembly, like Nero, cannot afford to fiddle while Rome (Nigeria) burns, otherwise they would become guilty of conspiracy of silence and willing accomplices to the unraveling of democracy in Nigeria.

“A breach of the Constitution by a sitting President is an impeachable offence. We are calling on the National Assembly, the Senate and House of Representatives, to wake up and defend the Constitution.

“This is the time for them to uphold the law and constitution of the land. This is the time they must display patriotism irrespective of party affiliation by urgently commencing impeachment proceedings against the President.

“This is not all about party membership. It’s all about sustaining our democracy and ensuring peace, security and development of the country.

“Nigerians expect them to exercise their constitutional powers to do the right thing if they are truly the elected representatives of the people.

“Otherwise, Tinubu’s stay in office will continue to bring national disgrace and embarrassment to Nigerians both home and abroad and equally chase away foreign investors from doing business in Nigeria because no foreign investor will come to Nigeria to invest while it remains under a President tainted with legitimacy.“

He insisted that the President’s forgery saga is already making life difficult and creating hard times for Nigerians abroad who are seeking for jobs as their certificates are now being subjected to thorough scrutiny to ensure they are not fake.

The Bayelsa-born political activist also called on the Supreme Court to handle the Presidential election petition appeal before it with the fear of God and national interest in order to safeguard the nation’s democracy.

He said: “We believe that the Supreme Court must not be biased and must do everything to protect our democracy. The world is watching to see if they will uphold the principles of true justice in the manner they will handle this case of
perjury or lying under oath by Tinubu.”

According to him, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, recently said the judiciary does not base its decisions on sentiment or public opinion in deciding cases but on the constitution.

“Several vitriolic attacks are regularly heaped on the judiciary; it is, however, crystal clear that public opinions, no matter how serious or weighty it might be, cannot override or supersede the constitution of the country which we apply in deciding each case,” the CJN said after swearing in 23 newly-appointed judges of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Frank added: “We now have a clear case of breach of the Constitution by a President who submitted a forged certificate to INEC contrary to Section 137 (1)(j) of the Constitution which stipulates that: ‘A person shall not be qualified for election to the office of President if – he has presented a forged certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission.’

“We expect the CJN and other Supreme Court Justices to courageously uphold the constitution by ensuring that a confirmed lawbreaker is not retained as the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.”