The Director of Centre for Democracy and Development, Prof. Jibrin Ibrahim, has attributed recent military takeover of power in countries within the Economic Community of West African States to tenure elongation by some sitting presidents.

He noted that in many African countries, sitting presidents have started compromising the constitutional convergence principles of which ECOWAS democracy was built.

Prof. Ibrahim spoke at a conference to celebrate ECOWAS at 50: Achievements; challenges and the road ahead organised by Rosa Luxemburg Foundation West Africa.

He, however, warned that military rule was dangerous for the future of ECOWAS and West Africa.

Ibrahim said: “In the last 30 years, ECOWAS has played a very positive role in engineering the development of democracy in West Africa and building a normative system in its treaties, protocols and laws that are supportive of democracy.

“The 1991 declaration of political principle and the 2001 supplementary protocol in democracy and governance were key instruments that have helped the evolution of democracy in West Africa.

“The fact of the matter, however, is that over the last one and a half decades, there has been considerable tensions because in many African countries, sitting presidents have started compromising the constitutional convergence principles of which ECOWAS democracy was built.

“Tenure elongation has become a rare problem and in that process we have seen the rise of authoritarianism and lack of respect for the rule of law. This is what has caused the tensions that are leading a new generation of West Africa that didn’t lead during the period of military rule to think that military rule is a viable alternative to democracy.”