Jibrin Barau, the Deputy Senate President of Nigeria, has been appointed as the acting Speaker of the Sixth Legislature of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament. Barau was nominated for the position during the inaugural session of the assembly held in Abuja, Nigeria, on Thursday.
His nomination was made by the first Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Awaji-Inombek Abiante, and seconded by Senator Ireti Kingibe. The appointment follows the absence of the Togolese delegation, to whom the Speakership of the Sixth Legislature was originally zoned according to the rotational system established by the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government.
Edwin Snowe, a Liberian, was elected as Speaker Pro-tempore to preside over the inaugural session until the Togolese delegation is inaugurated. Other deputy speakers elected include Adjaratou Traore Coulibaly (Cote D’Ivoire), Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin (Ghana), and Billay G Tunkara (Gambia).
The opening session was graced by President Bola Tinubu, who emphasized the importance of regional solidarity to strengthen the bloc’s resilience and effectiveness. Lawmakers from various ECOWAS member states were inaugurated as members of the Sixth Legislature of the ECOWAS Parliament.