News:
Chairman political Affairs Senator Edwin Snowe Jr.
February 4, 2022
Chairman of the Community Parliament’s, Committee on Political Affairs, Peace, Security and African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), Edwin Melvin Snowe Junior is advocating for the re-introduction of protocol on good governance and democracy which emphasised on two term limit for democratically elected presidents.
According to him any country that opposes and tries to fight the two term limit should be exposed, and want the media within the West African sub-region to play a leading role in this crusade.
In an interview on whether the sub-region should introduce a peer review mechanisms to curb the quest for changing constitution to run for a third term by presidents, he said “West African, we are not animals, we are reasonable beings, we go to school like those in the other regions and the West, we are part of a civilized society but sometimes I think it is a matter of greed”.
Mr. Snowe further added that, citizens within the member states would know those seeking two term limit and those fighting and such matters should not be swept under the carpet, that as a sub- region “we would start to make progress”.
In the first in-person Session which would be held in Liberia next month, he mentioned that the ECOWAS Parliament would address more issues on happenings within the sub-region, and they are going to be tough on issues to make sure the proper things are done to discourage manipulations of the constitution to benefit some individuals.
“During the last Session last year in Abuja- Nigeria when the issue on protocol and democracy came up from the Commission and we started deliberation on it, it was fought by Togo and Cote d’lvoire, because it discouraged third term and limited our Heads of States to two term mandate through election”.
And the last virtual summit of the Authority of Heads of States and Government was not calling for that protocol to be re-introduced; “I am happy that now they are now calling for the protocol, no president in our sub-region should short change its people through referendum or whatever”.
In addition, he pointed out that they are sending lieutenant to the Gambia for example which has no constitutional term limit, there was a referendum on two term limit, but could not go through parliament, it died and the president run for a second term with the same constitution that has no term limit.
“So where the President now in the Gambia is to introduce a referendum to have a two term limit then after he does that and claim that his term is just starting now, is he going to the first term there by seeking additional two term? It is a whole new debate.
And noted that those are some of the things they would be looking at as they need to now put the ball down in Togo to ensure that the president since 2005 and since the death of his father they have been going in circles as to how to handle this situation in Togo. Any time there is crack down, they are on the opposition and there is demonstration.
President Akufo-Addo has been instrumental in resolving conflicts in Togo “but how long can he do that or any other person come from anywhere and try’s to intervene?”
He further gave an example of Senegal changing their constitution to cut down on the mandate of their tem, “whether president Macky Sall, would say there is a new Republic so there should be a third term with referendum, we do not know. There has been a parliamentary election which the ruling party lost a lot of seats, and that has sent a signal to the ruling establishment, I hope they would take a cue”.
Again, with Guinea which has witnessed military coup, he noted that the citizens rejected ECOWAS when President Nana Akufo-Addo went there with the Ivorian President Alassane Dramane Ouattara who is a beneficiary of constitutional change for a third term, and that did not go down well with the population in Guinea.
“It is hard time that ECOWAS takes the bull by the horn, we should take some drastic action and condemn those who are trying to circumvent the constitution; this is not good to our democracy on the basis of sovereignty protocol of non-interference is not helping us”.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com