Senegalese Polls: Gambari to lead ECOWAS observation mission
Professor Ibrahim Gambari is to lead ECOWAS Observation Mission for the Senegalese Presidential election fixed for 24th March, this year.
The ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security, Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, disclosed this in an interview with Voice of Nigeria in Abuja.
He noted that the peaceful conduct of the election in Senegal election is a priority for the region.
Senegalese government had announced that the delayed presidential election will take place on 24 March, following a ruling by the Constitutional Council that the presidential election must take place before 2nd April.
The announcement follows tension in the country after President Macky Sall postponed the election last month.
Prior to the announcement, authorities had attempted to postpone the original 25th February poll to December, which resulted in unrest in the country.
Ambassador Musah said ECOWAS is committed to ensuring peaceful and credible election in the West African country that’s the reason for appointing an experienced and seasoned diplomat like Professor Gambari, to lead the observation mission.
“We have just appointed a very seasoned diplomat from Nigeria that is Professor Gambari, he has been Under Secretary General of the UN, and he was the last Chief of Staff to the President of Nigeria.”
“He is going to lead an Observation Mission to Senegal, and you know that ECOWAS does not just go to observe, ECOWAS also undertake preventive diplomacy activities, so to have an experienced diplomat like that leading the mission and with Members of Council of the Wise also there, members of the ECOWAS Parliament also part of the mission, we will be there to ensure that everything goes smoothly and that election is credible in a peaceful environment.”
Meanwhile, on sustaining democracy in the region, Ambassador Musah said ECOWAS had made the conscious choice because of the crisis in the region to adopt a code of behaviour for member states which they are signatories to and so ECOWAS does not do anything outside protocols and instruments that have been agreed by all the 15 member states of our region.
He disclosed this earlier during the weekly press conference in Abuja, Nigeria.
Ambassador Musah explained that liberal democracy as practiced in the region has at times been reduced to electoral meaning that in between elections there is very little in terms of societal well-being creating conditions for social services, infrastructural development and inclusive governance. “Elections have become a do or die affair in some states, and this is what ECOWAS is fighting against”.
He said elections must enshrine democracy which must correlate with societal well-being, food security and basic infrastructure for citizens.
To this end he said ECOWAS has been trying to review the supplementary protocol on democracy and good governance to make sure that sitting presidents do not fiddle with their constitutions or electoral laws to perpetuate themselves in power.
In a bid to protect fragile democracies, he said ECOWAS has been maintaining military missions in Gambia and Guinea Bissau while another is being contemplated in Sierra Leone following the last jail break and attempted takeover in that country.
Ambassador Musah emphasized that the strength of ECOWAS lies in all 15 member states working together and facing the challenges together.
On the fight against terrorism, Ambassador Musah said ECOWAS is intensifying efforts to create a counter terrorism force to fight terrorism in the West African region.
He said the decision to create a counter terrorism force was made by the Authority of Heads of States and Government during an extraordinary summit in Abuja.
Ambassador Musah added that the region’s Chiefs of Defence Staff have developed a concept of operations for the force and Ministers of Finance and Defence are expected to meet to work out the modalities to finance the counter terrorism force.
He said terrorism is undoubtedly the major existential threat confronting ECOWAS member states noting that “the threats facing the region are not confined to states but across borders and require cross border collaboration”.
Hauwa M.
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