President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been re-elected to serve another year as Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
His re-election took place during the 65th Ordinary Session of the Authority, held at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja.
During the session, President Tinubu announced the appointment of President Bassirou Faye of Senegal as the Special Envoy of the ECOWAS Commission.
Faye’s primary task will be to mediate with the leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, who announced their exit from the community earlier this year. Faye will work alongside Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, in this role.
In his acceptance speech, President Tinubu expressed his commitment to the responsibilities of his re-election, promising to serve to the best of his abilities. He emphasised the importance of sustaining democratic values and structures within the community.
“Having a new mandate, I will request Faye of Senegal to please become our special envoy alongside Tuggur, to do round-the-clock work with our brothers in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger and coordinate with me, if necessary, and with the commission,” President Tinubu stated.
He further added, “Thank you very much. There’s no need for long speeches now that I’ve accepted to continue in service with great members and great minds committed to democratic values in our region. I’ll do my utmost best to serve our interests and build on the democratic values and structures we have inherited.”
The 65th Ordinary Session of the Authority marks another step in President Tinubu’s ongoing efforts to strengthen regional cooperation and uphold democratic principles within ECOWAS.