Tight security as Tinubu set to inaugurate 6th legislature of ECOWAS Parliament

President Bola Tinubu will inaugurate the 6th legislature of the ECOWAS Parliament on Thursday, April 4, 2024.

Present at the ECOWAS Parliament premises, Pulse observed streams of security personnel stationed across routes leading to the venue.

The first meeting of the Parliament signifies the beginning of the 6th legislative term, as outlined in Article 28 of the Supplementary Act on the Enhancement of the Powers of the ECOWAS Parliament of 2016. 

This session follows the conclusion of the Fifth Legislature of the ECOWAS Parliament on March 8, 2024.

One of the notable highlights of the inaugural session would be the induction of representatives elected to the ECOWAS Parliament by their respective national assemblies or equivalent bodies in each member state. 

These new Members pledge their dedication to serving the interests of the people in the sub-region before the Chairman.

ECOWAS Parliament to elect new Speaker

During this session, Members will also choose the Speaker of the Sixth Legislature, who will serve a four-year term, following the guidelines outlined in the Supplementary Act 2016.

According to Article 24 of the Supplementary Act, which focuses on enhancing the powers of the Parliament, the Authority allocates the position of Speaker to Member States. 

This allocation follows a rotational system based on the alphabetical order of Member States.

Formation of ECOWAS Parliament

The ECOWAS Parliament, serving as the voice of the West African Community States, comprises 115 seats. 

Each Member State is guaranteed at least five seats, with the remainder distributed based on population size. 

As a result, Nigeria holds 35 seats, Ghana 8, Côte d’Ivoire 7, and Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Niger, and Senegal have 6 each. 

The remaining Member States - Benin, Cabo Verde, The Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Togo - are allocated 5 seats each.