News:
November 16, 2018
Speaker of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, Moustapha Cisse Lo has cautioned Members of Parliament (MPs) representing Nigeria in the community legislature against absenteeism.
According to the Speaker, the second ordinary session is opening against the back drop of the electoral fever in Nigeria, which would have its Presidential and legislative elections in February 2019.
To elect a President of the Republic and members of the National Assembly, he wished the thirty-five (35) members of the ECOWAS well.
He was quick to add that, Nigerian must not use the process of election as an excuse for absenteeism and added that ECOWAS understands the time in which members of the Nigerian delegation are in, but was quick to point out that the second ordinary session is a budgetary session.
The first quarter of next year will, without doubt be affected by the general elections in Nigeria and Senegal, the role of the community Parliament in monitoring these elections will be crucial in strengthening and establishing the credibility of the election he said.
Speaker Moustapha Cisse-Lo further emphasised that in an agreement with the ECOWAS Commission, they have decided to include a budget for election monitoring in the 2019 budget; “number of Parliamentarians on the observer mission will be strengthened, but maintain in the ECOWAS observer corps”.
By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com