Tinubu's New Challenge: Reunifying Breakaway States as ECOWAS Chair

Re-election Boosts Tinubu's Mission to Reunite ECOWAS States

Tinubu's primary responsibility upon reelection as ECOWAS chairman is to bring back the breakaway states.

President Tinubu's term as ECOWAS Chairman extended, calls for regional standby force to ensure security and economic progress. Urges member states to increase funding and take advantage of Nigeria's National Counter-Terrorism Centre for capacity building.

President Bola Tinubu's term as Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State was extended by the Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS, on Monday, July 8. The following day was scheduled to mark the end of President Tinubu's first year in office.

Tinubu designated Senegalese President Bassirou Faye to assist in mediating the return of leaders from Burkina Faso, Niger, and Chad who had departed the bloc during his acceptance speech. Alongside Nigeria's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, President Faye will carry out this assignment.

He stated, “Having a new mandate, I will request Faye of Senegal to please become our special envoy alongside Tuggar, to do round-the-clock work with our brothers Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, and coordinate with me, if necessary, and with the commission.

“Now that I've accepted to continue in the service with great members and great minds that are committed to democratic values in the region, I'll continue my utmost best to serve our interests and build on the democratic values and the structure that we inherited.”

President Tinubu called on ECOWAS Heads of State and Government to prioritize the establishment and maintenance of a regional standby force, crucial for ensuring the security and economic advancement of the community.

Tinubu underlined the need for such a force in view of the growing security concerns during the commencement of the 65th session.

“The Regional Action Plan against Terrorism has enhanced cooperation on training, intelligence sharing, and humanitarian interventions. In addition to this, the Ministers of Finance and Defence met recently in Abuja to raise funds for activating the ECOWAS Standby Force to boost counter-terrorism efforts.

“Member countries are also displaying their commitment to combating insecurity by individually increasing their defence budgets to acquire necessary equipment and ensure preparedness,” the President said.

Tinubu nevertheless pleaded with the member nations to increase their funding for regional security.

“Let me underscore that a peaceful and secure society is essential for achieving our potential. As we move to operationalise the ECOWAS Standby Force (ESF) in combating terrorism, I must emphasise that the success of this plan requires not only strong political will but also substantial financial resources.

“We must, therefore, ensure that we meet the expectations and recommendations set forth by our Ministers of Defence and Finance to counter insecurity and stabilise our region,” the President added.

As one of the best on the continent, Tinubu counseled ECOWAS leaders to take advantage of Nigeria's National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC).

The President declared that his administration has decided to designate the NCTC as a regional center so that all ECOWAS member states can take use of its chances for capacity building and other relevant activities.

The President emphasized the need for community cohesion and emphasized that ECOWAS must create novel strategies to unleash the enormous economic potential of the region in order to lift people out of poverty and into prosperity.

“We must continue to identify and develop partnerships that promote investment in key sectors and promote regional trade. Furthermore, we must invest in our infrastructure and cultivate a suitable business environment to empower our communities to stimulate growth and build resilience against external shocks. Together, we can pave the way for a prosperous future for all of West Africa,” the President said.

In February 2025, Tinubu also requested support for Ambassador Bankole Adeoye's reelection as the African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security.

As he welcomed Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye to the Authority, Tinubu congratulated the government and people of the Republic of Senegal on their unwavering commitment to advancing democratic governance.

He continued, saying: “Their recently concluded presidential election has been widely judged as free, fair, transparent, and credible. This achievement is a testament to our region's commitment to the principles of democracy, good governance, and rule of law.”

Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, commended President Tinubu's deliberate leadership in his speech and emphasized that growth, not conflicts, elections, or coups d'états, should characterize the bloc.

Touray voiced worries about the potential effects on the residents of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger as well as other members of the ECOWAS, especially with regard to visa requirements and the evaluation of all trade and development agreements, including current regional initiatives.

The speaker emphasized that the recent triumphant changes in Senegal, Nigeria, Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone, and Liberia serve as evidence that democracy is living and alive in the area.

He said: “We look forward to the consolidation of this trend in the region as we prepare for a major election in Ghana later this year.”

Touray cautioned, nevertheless, that despite its modest accomplishments, the region continues to face complex issues.

“Our region is still confronted with multiple interlocking threats, including existential ones. This includes climatic and man-made crises, leading to terrorism and violent extremism and food insecurity. Livelihoods continue to be threatened by illegal and unsustainable exploitation of our land, forest and marine resources.

“Governance deficit and marginalization have strained social contracts, engendering bitter rivalries and unhealthy competition. To complicate the situation, our region has become the arena of geo-strategic and geo-political rivalries and the theatre of misinformation and disinformation that engenders mistrust among and within communities and undermines social cohesion.”

The leaders of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger were absent from the Abuja summit of the ECOWAS.

The Sahel Alliance was formally launched by these three countries on Saturday, July 6, one day ahead of the ECOWAS summit.

Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger proclaimed their new coalition, known as the coalition of Sahel States, last September, despite the summit's primary focus being on measures to appease these three nations who had rebelled against ECOWAS. They agree to work together in the case of external invasion.

After the regional organization took action against the military regimes of these nations, which had toppled democratic rule, these nations departed ECOWAS in January.

General Abdourahamane Tchiani of Niger spoke at their conference in Niamey on Saturday and called ECOWAS a menace to the nations governed by the military. He declared that the three countries would continue their cooperation without outside influence on their citizens. September 2022 saw the coup in Burkina Faso, August 2021 in Mali, and July 2023 in Niger.

Following the junta-led countries of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger's declaration of intent to exit the bloc through the signing of a confederation treaty, ECOWAS warned at its meeting on Monday that the region ran the risk of disintegrating and becoming even more unstable.

Touray emphasized that the main advantages of the nearly 50-year-old bloc are freedom of movement and a shared market with 400 million people. But if Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger depart, these benefits could be jeopardized.

He forewarned the summit that these three countries would see the suspension or cancellation of economic initiatives valued at more than $500 million.

“Considering these benefits, it is evident that disintegration will not only disrupt the freedom of movement and settlement of people, but it will also worsen insecurity in the region,” Touray said.

Concurrently, a research published by the West Africa Democracy Solidarity Network (WADEMOS) claims that between 2002 and 2023, the leaders of twenty-four African nations amended their constitutions thirty-five times in an effort to prolong their rule.

According to the analysis, these constitutional reforms failed in just six cases in five countries, while they were successful in 29 cases across 18 countries.

Africa has seen 26 successful military coups, with 13 occurring in West Africa, 12 in Central Africa, 4 in Northern Africa, 3 in Eastern Africa, and 1 in Southern Africa, according to Austin Aigbe, Advocacy Officer at WADEMOS, who made this revelation during the presentation.

“Since 2019, 10 successful military coups have occurred in seven countries in Africa. In West Africa, constitutional manipulation of term limits has taken place in Côte d'Ivoire (2020), Guinea (2020), and Togo (2019/2024), causing violence due to protest and closing of the space for competitive electoral politics,” he said.