How to stop coups in West Africa
Femi Falana By Femi Falana UNTIL about three years ago, all the member states of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, were led by democratically elected governments. But, since some ECOWAS leaders decided to extend their tenure, there had been about nine successful and unsuccessful coups in West Africa. In view of the meeting of the Authority of Heads of State and Government, the highest decision making organ of the ECOWAS in Abuja on Thursday, August 10, 2023, it is pertinent to draw attention to the main causes of unconstitutional change of government and how to arrest the ugly development. Limit tenure of elected presidents to two terms: It is common knowledge that the immediate and remote cause of unconstitutional change of governments is the manipulation of constitutions and referenda by elected governments to extend the tenure of Presidents. In 2015, the leaders of ECOWAS proposed to restrict West African presidents to two terms in office to stop unconstitu...