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Hon. Chief Fortune Charumbira, the President of the Pan-African Parliament has today offered a goodwill message at the 2022 Second Ordinary Session of the Fifth Legislature of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Abuja, Nigeria.
Present at the meeting are His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Guinea Bissau and Chairperson of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, President Umaro Sissoco Embalo; His Excellency, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari; and the Hon. President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray.
Gracing the occasion are also the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Rt. Hon. Dr. Sidie Mohamed Tunis, the President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, Justice Edward Amoako Asante; the President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Rt. Hon. Senator Ahmad Lawan; the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila; and the Speaker of the Chamber of Councillors of the Kingdom of Morocco, Rt. Hon. Speaker Enaam Mayara.
Chief Charumbira extended warm and fraternal greetings from the Bureau and the entire membership of the Pan-African Parliament.
“I would like to express my gratitude to the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Dr. Sidie Mohamed Tunis, for extending an invitation to us to give a Solidarity Statement on this auspicious occasion.
“I would like to reassure the ECOWAS Parliament that the Pan African Parliament is well and truly back in action and fully operational after the hugely successful June 29 elections. The Bureau and all Standing Committees are now in place and have kick-started activities aimed at fulfilling the mandate of the PAP in the continental governance matrix,” Chief Charumbira said.
Chief Charumbira indicated that the PAP elections were conducted in line with the principle of rotation which is an abiding value and irrevocable principle of the African Union. To that end, he commended the ECOWAS Parliament for respecting the principle of rotational leadership throughout its structures, even though it is a rotation within the West African Community.
He said rotational leadership brings predictability that breeds certainty, fosters stability, and engenders peace.
“I, therefore, encourage the ECOWAS Parliament and all ECOWAS structures to jealously guard the principle of rotational leadership and not allow it to be subverted as it is the bedrock of equity and justice in our institutions. To that end, the PAP has now successfully amended its Rules of Procedure to include the principle of rotation in the Rules.
“When I received the invitation from the ECOWAS Parliament, I felt obliged to attend because Hon. Sidie Mohamed Tunis demonstrated the high premium in which the ECOWAS Parliament holds the PAP by attending the First Ordinary Session of the Sixth Parliament of the Pan African Parliament and similarly delivering a Solidarity Statement. Thus the principle of reciprocity in Parliamentary diplomacy dictates that I had no choice but to honour the invitation by attending,” Chief Charumbira said
Over and above, the principle of reciprocity, Chief Chsrumbira said the Pan African Parliament is obliged by Article 11 (7) of the PAP Protocol as read with Rule 4 (1) (e) of the PAP Rules of Procedure to “Promote the coordination and harmonization of policies, measures, programmes and activities of the Regional Economic Communities and the parliamentary fora of Africa”.
To that end, the PAP is compelled to work with and through RECs and Regional Parliaments in order to achieve this objective as well as to fulfill its mandate of ensuring the full participation of African people in the economic development and integration of the continent.
Chief Charumbira said there are similarities in the mandate of the PAP and the ECOWAS Parliament with the difference being only in the scope of application. Whereas the PAP is mandated to ensure the full participation of African peoples in the economic development and integration of the whole continent, the Preamble to the Supplementary Act Relating to the Enhancement of the Powers of the ECOWAS Parliament says the “ECOWAS Parliament will ensure full participation of the West African peoples in the economic development and integration of the region.” Both Parliaments have the same objective with the PAP focusing on a macro scale and the ECOWAS Parliament on a micro scale, that is, the West African Community.
“The success of the ECOWAS Parliament in driving its mandate will thus translate into the success of the Pan African Parliament as the two are simply different veins to the same heart. It is, therefore, in the interests of the Pan African Parliament for the ECOWAS Parliament to be effective and efficient in the fulfillment of its mandate and the PAP stands ready to assist in any way it can in strengthening the functions of the ECOWAS Parliament.”
Chief Charumbira noted with concern the recent attempted coup in Sao Tome and Principe as well as the upsurge of coups and coups within coups on the continent, despite the AU’s commitment to “silence the guns.”
He pointed out that the gains made in the past 20 years with relative stability and orderly transfer of power seem to be eroding by the day.
“This may be one area of collaboration between the PAP and ECOWAS to bring peace and stability to the continent by interrogating the reason behind the sudden rise in coups, lobbying, and speaking against unconstitutional changes of government. Member States wherein coups are staged and governments changed unconstitutionally must also be held to account by the two Parliaments and not be allowed to subvert the will of the people with impunity.
“I wish to note the thrust by the ECOWAS Parliament towards direct universal suffrage for Members of the ECOWAS Parliament which is high on the Agenda of the Fifth Legislature. This is one of the changes envisaged by the Malabo Protocol which, however, has both budgetary and implementation challenges which need to be thought through. If, for instance, a Member of the ECOWAS Parliament is not a Member of the National Parliament, how will the ECOWAS Parliament’s reports be channeled through the national legislature? Secondly, the additional Members create a cost on the fiscus which is already strained by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Russia-Ukraine crisis among others. These, among other issues, need to be addressed within the context of the operational efficiency of the regional legislature.”
Drawing lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and the upsurge in coups, he said institutions and organs of governance must be prepared to adapt and respond to global and continental exigencies.
“Alluding to the historian, Charles Darwin, who said, “It is not the strongest of species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive and adaptable to change”, Parliaments must continue to interrogate the relevance, efficacy, effectiveness, and responsiveness of their business processes and systems to remain relevant to the needs of the African citizenry. The PAP has already embarked on this reformatory path beginning with the Strategic Re-orientation Workshop which identified critical success factors towards the achievement of its mandate. The reform process is underway beginning with the restructuring of Committees to make them more focused and effective in their functions.”
He commended the efforts of the ECOWAS Community and the Parliament in the consolidation of peace and security in conflict-affected countries such as Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cote d’Ivoire, and Mali through the ECOWAS Peace Fund where preventive diplomacy and mediation missions were deployed, electoral processes were supported and various assistance mechanisms were operationalized.
“The PAP is ready and willing to support conflict resolution and peace-building initiatives throughout the continent. I express my appreciation to the Government and people of Nigeria for hosting the ECOWAS Parliament in Abuja and wish the Parliament every success in its endeavour to ensure the full participation of the West African peoples in the economic development and integration of the continent,” Chief Charumbira added.