News:
August 3, 2020
The Secretary General of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, John Azumah has revealed that the Ad Hoc Committee set up to make recommendation for adoption on direct election to the Parliament is yet to meet.
According to him after the inauguration of the fifth Community Parliament in Niamey Niger the Ad Hoc Committee tasked to look at the road map of getting lawmakers elected was supposed to meet in Abuja.
In an interview he pointed out that just after the inauguration, the Committee was supposed to meet in Abuja but due to the COVID-19 pandemic that was spreading fast in the sub-region and the closure of the borders nobody could travel.
Hence there is no report yet, “we are looking up to the opportune time that there would be a physical or probably virtual meeting to be able to deal with the matter”.
The Ad Hoc Committee is expected to make recommendations that would be presented for adopted to the Authority of Heads of State and Government.
Currently, Members of ECOWAS Parliament are nominated by their national Parliaments to represent them in Abuja towards the end of the life span of the fourth legislature the issues of absentees came up strongly where lawmakers had to shuttle between their national Parliament and the Community Parliament.
Immediate past speaker of the fourth legislature Mustapha Cisse Lo had cause to complain and gave directives that lawmakers who do not attend sittings would not take their allowance.
The fifteen member Ad Hoc Committee is chaired by the First Deputy Speaker of the Community Parliament, Ahmed Idriss Wase from Nigeria, whiles the other members of the Committee are Sedami Medagan Benin, Noal Toe Goakun Burkina Faso, Filomena Goncalves Cape Verde, Fanny Chantal Cote d’Ivoire, Mohammed Magassy Gambia, Clement Kofi Humado Ghana, Aissata Daffe Guinea, Caramo Camara Guinea Bissua, Clarence Massaquoi Liberia, Youssouf Aya Mali, Hanatou Barkire Niger, Biodun Olujimi Nigeria Aime Assine Senegal, Chernor Maju Bah Sierra Leone and Kofi Tsolenyanu Togo.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com