Deputy President of the Senate Barau Jibrin, has emerged as the acting Speaker of the Sixth Legislature of the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Senator Barau, who is the leader of the Nigerian delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament, emerged during the inaugural session of the assembly held in Abuja on Thursday.
The Deputy President of the Senate was first nominated as the 1st Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament by Representative Awaji-Inombek Abiante and seconded by Senator Ireti Kingibe.
In accordance with the rotational system of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, the Speakership of the Sixth Legislature of the sub-regional body has been zoned to the Republic of Togo.
However, during the inauguration of the Sixth Legislature of the ECOWAS, the delegation of the Republic of Togo was not present; consequently, a Speaker Pro-tempore, Edwin Melvin Snowe JR, a Liberian, was elected.
Snowe JR presided over the inaugural session of the Parliament, including the election of the four deputy speakers.
He said in order not to create a vacuum, Senator Barau, as the 1st Deputy Speaker, will act as the Speaker of the Parliament pending when the Togolese delegation is inaugurated.
The opening ceremony was attended by President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Chairman of ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
In his speech, President Tinubu called on ECOWAS member states to come together, strengthen ties, and reject forces bent on causing division within the community.
He said regional solidarity is imperative to strengthen the bloc’s resilience and effectiveness at this critical juncture.
Lawmakers from Nigeria, Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cote D’ Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Senegal and Sierra Leone were inaugurated as members of the Sixth Legislature of the ECOWAS.
